Virgin's Richard Branson Announces New iPhone-Exclusive Deal With Apple

Virgin Mobile USA, a subsidiary of Sprint Corp S, will offer iPhones exclusively under a plan in which customers will receive unlimited data for a year for $1 per month.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson announced the exclusive partnership between Virgin and Apple Inc. AAPL on Wednesday in San Francisco.

Under the deal, Virgin will offer an iPhone exclusive cellular plan, called "Inner Circle" that offers unlimited data, text and calls.

Branson Says Apple, Virgin Complement Each Other

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts "has been tremendously supportive of this and loves the proposition," Branson told Reuters. "We were knocking on (an) open door."

Virgin customers pay full price for their phone upfront but are not locked into a contract. Under the Apple deal, customers who buy a new or refurbished iPhone from Virgin or Apple will get up to one year of service for $1 a month, with service costing $50 per month after that.

Branson told Reuters he sees similarities between the Apple and Virgin brands because both advocate for human rights and other social causes.

The Virgin-Apple deal effectively shuts out Android phones and makes Virgin the first Apple-exclusive carrier.

Related Link: The Real Reason Apple’s IPhone Left Virgin Mobile?

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Image Credit: By Virgin Mobile - www.virginmobileusa.com, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons