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NTL:Telewest finally announced completion of its buy-up of Virgin Mobile today after getting the green light from the High Court.

Virgin Mobile's shares have been delisted from the stock exchange. It'll continue serving its four million punters as a separate entity for a while, most likely until early 2007, NTL:Telewest says.

Then, under the licensing arrangement which is a key driver behind the acquisition, NTL:Telewest will begin offering a quadruple-play of broadband, TV, mobile, and fixed phone lines to consumers under the Virgin brand.

NTL:Telewest CEO Steve Burch said: "This...will create a formidable competitor in the UK's fast changing communications and entertainment industries."

Virgin founder and beardy billionaire Sir Richard Branson said: "Today, we've created a unique organisation - a new, soon-to-be-branded Virgin company - which will offer the very finest in 'quadruple'.

"Through our new company, our aim is to offer consumers the very best, most sought-after choice available. You ain't, as the saying goes, seen nothing yet..."

Getting its hands on the Virgin name means NTL:Telewest will have a sexier market presence when the time comes to compete in the impending quadruple-play dust-up with the grunt of Murdoch's Sky, the power of France Telecom's Orange brand, and a still widely trusted household name like BT. The giants are all betting on people preferring to get one bill rather than four.

The Register