Comment 2 for bug 840004

New ideas for what to do about that problem of getting a Virgin Mobile Dongle Broadband connection included changing the name (Edit Network connections) from T & A ... to "Virgin UK" , which is the way it appears on my other (Windows XP) computers, where the software works and going online is not such a problem.
Installing Wine and trying to use the Virgin Mobile software on Ubuntu is interesting, but a waste of time - you just get extra barriers to going online.
What did work eventually was just plugging in with USB lead to my very basic simple Nokia mobile phone. I think my settings are for GSM packages enabled, and USB setting is left to ask on connection - so it will only give you a Broadband online connection when you first plug in; disconnecting or disabling means you have to unplug & replug in. The name of the connection now seems to be irrelevant, but I guess my quota of download & upload is added up in my phone log (so Virgin need not shout, as I am not a pirate, but am still waiting for that refund and return of jack leads promised). This is what I am now using for web pages, software updates for Ubuntu and Avira, etc, etc.
So, problem solved, in a way, because it still is mediated by Virgin Mobile, who supplied mobile phone also - how to strike it lucky with tiny plugin, but I got my connection, but of course, it does seem that any service provider would do.