Technology & IT | Sunday 20 December, 2015 4:59 pm |

Virgin Mobile has raised SAR2.47 million during a high profile auction at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh that saw 12 exclusive VIP Virgin Mobile numbers go to successful bidders in under an hour. A stunning 1.976 million of the proceeds will be donated to worthy Saudi Arabian Charities.

Karim Benkirane, CEO of Virgin Mobile, said: “Everyone at Virgin Mobile is delighted with the support that we received for this special occasion, and we are so proud that our first ever auction of VIP Virgin Mobile numbers raised a fantastic amount of money for such worthy Saudi Arabian charities. We would like to thank His Royal Highness for championing these causes which help tens of thousands of children in Saudi Arabia every year, and of course the successful bidders for their generosity.”

The well-attended evening, auctioneered by star TV presenter Mohammed Alshehri, included 0570 000 000 which is one of the most prestigious numbers ever to become available for auction, and was the last all zeros combination available in the Kingdom. This special Virgin Mobile number was sold for SAR 1.05 million.

Eleven other exceptional mobile numbers were bid on at the prestigious auction, including 0570 777 777, 0570 666 666, 0570 555 555 and 0570 070 070.

Hosted by HRH Prince Mohammad Bin Saud Bin Naif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Chairman of Virgin Mobile Saudi Arabia, 80 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the Disabled Children Association, the Charity Committee for Orphans Care, and other community initiatives.

 “The number booking website is just one innovation we have brought to the Saudi Arabian mobile market. In our first year of operations we have set new standards in customer experience, and fairness in our prices and packages in the Kingdom. We have innovated through products like our 3 SIMs and championed Saudi Arabian culture pioneers through our Creative Collective. Virgin Mobile’s purpose to make mobile better is what drives us and we have exciting plans in the pipeline for 2016 to do just that,” said Karim.

Anyone can pick their own special number through Virgin Mobile’s unique number booking service, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia. With a million numbers in the 0570 range, customers can choose and buy any number that means something to them straight from their mobiles or laptops.