Starbuck, it sounds to me like something might have replaced a dll file that handles the dns requests. I have seen it before, and it was resolved by replacing a key file, though I cannot remember which one exactly.
Well, I think Orange and T-mobile are teaming up in the near future, and I have a feeling that Virgin use the T-mobiles network. Whether this partnership is going to mean redundancy for you is unlikely, as any significant overlap would be stopped due to cost savings.