Virgin Mobile doubles first quarter earnings

Virgin Mobile USA more than doubled its earnings in the first quarter of 2009 to $13.5 million, or 19 cents per share, up from $4.8 million, or 7 cents per share from last year's first quarter.

The company's total revenue was up 2 percent year-over-year to $337 million from $330 million in the same period last year. Still, it lost 133,000 net customers, bringing its total to 5.2 million customers. The loss was a far cry from a gain of 17,000 customers in the same quarter last year, indicative of difficulties that mobile networks face keeping customers during the current global economic slowdown.