Virgin Mobile said the lure of cheap text messages had helped it achieve a record quarterly sales performance.
The operator, which employs 200 staff in Middlesbrough, said it attracted 506,448 customers in October, November and December, a 37 per cent rise on quarterly growth levels seen at the same point in 2002.
This brought the number of Virgin customers to 3.6 million - up 53 per cent on a year ago - strengthening its claim to be the UK's fastest growing mobile phone operator.
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