Virgin Mobile says it will be iPhone-only carrier

The carrier, which is owned by Sprint, said U.S. customers who purchase certain iPhone models through July 31 can receive 12 months of voice, data and text-message service for $1. [...] for a carrier to only sell a single manufacturer’s phones is unusual for an industry which has usually offered a wide range of handsets. Prepaid carriers are facing fierce competition from conventional plans offered by AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. On Wednesday, Virgin Mobile said customers who buy a qualifying iPhone through the company or Apple could win perks like a round-trip flight to the United Kingdom and a free night’s stay at a Virgin hotel. “This is an aggressive move by a prepaid player to leverage its own assets,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager for wearables and mobile phones at IDC.