Sprint Nextel Corp. is intensifying its focus on the fast-growing market for prepaid cell phone service with a $483 million deal to buy Virgin Mobile USA Inc.

The acquisition announced Tuesday calls for Sprint to pay $5.50 in stock for each Virgin Mobile share. Sprint already owned 13.1 percent of Virgin Mobile, which uses Sprint’s network to offer service.

The offer is a 31 percent premium to Virgin Mobile’s closing share price Monday of $4.21. In early trading Tuesday, the shares rose $1.05, or 25 percent, to $5.26.

Virgin Mobile resells access to Sprint’s wireless network for public who lack the credit or income to sign monthly plans. It has 5.2 million subscribers who pay an average of $20 per month. Sprint has 49.1 million subscribers, including those using the network through wholesalers like Virgin Mobile.

The deal reinforces that year’s main trend in wireless: The top two carriers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., are grabbing the high-value contract customers, while Nos. 3 and 4, Sprint and T-Mobile USA, are left to compete for prepaying customers with smaller upstarts like MetroPCS Communications Inc. and Leap Wireless universal Inc.

Sprint roiled the industry by introducing a $50-per-month prepaid unlimited plan in January under its Boost type. That made for an awkward relationship with its customer Virgin Mobile, which had a $80-a-month plan. In April, Virgin Mobile was able to introduce its own $50 plan after negotiations with Sprint.

Virgin Mobile’s stock started the year at 84 cents, but news of the unlimited plan sent it zooming, and it continued its climb after the carrier posted a rare profit for the first quarter, even though it lost subscribers.

Sprint said it would keep the Virgin Mobile type. Dan Schulman, Virgin Mobile USA’s CEO, will run Sprint’s prepaid business when the deal closes late that year or early next.

Sprint plans…

[Source] dhiram