Qtel has teamed up with the Virgin Group to launch Virgin Mobile in Qatar. Virgin Mobile Qatar will be Qatar's first youth-focused mobile offering, delivered by Virgin Mobile in a brand partnership with Qtel. Launched on 13 May, Virgin Mobile Qatar offers a prepaid mobile service, supported by a range of retail stores, a dedicated contact centre in Doha, as well as an online community. Customers pay the same call rate all day, with airtime valid for 180 days. Local calls cost QAR 0.55 per minute for the first five minutes each day, and QAR 0.30 per minute after that. Mobile internet is priced at QAR1 per megabyte. The launch was announced at a special opening ceremony that saw Sir Richard Branson arrive at the head of a V-formation fleet of jetski riders, blazing a trail along the curve of the Corniche, before landing at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Branson said Virgin Mobile is the fastest-growing and most successful business in Virgin's history, with more than 15 million customers around the world. Virgin Mobile Qatar will be the eighth Virgin Mobile branded operation in the world, following on from launches in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada, France, South Africa, and India.
