Beginning October 15th, Virgin Mobile will lower rates to many South and Central Amercia locations. This move is meant to help secure a bigger portion of the Latin America calling market and will no doubt take away some business from the phone card providers who have traditionaly dominated this market segment. Some of Virgin Mobile's new rates are unheard of in the mobile phone business:

• Mexico - As Low as $0.02 per minute
• Brazil - As Low as $0.02 per minute
• Guatemala - As Low as $0.10 per minute
• El Salvador - As Low as $0.10 per minute
• Argentina - As Low as $0.05 per minute
• Dominican Republic - As Low as $0.05 per minute

To see a full list of rates go to their web page: virginmobileusa.com/rates/internationalCalling.do

While these rates may not be as low as some of the calling cards on the market, the convenience of direct dial from your mobile phone and the lack of the dozens of fees, might make this very attractive to many Central and South Americans living in the US. This offers might not last forever, but take this opportunity to call your relatives in Central and South America, especially with holidays coming.