THE ARTICLE
Virgin Mobile comes to the UAE

Osman Sultan, the CEO for EITC announced the entry of Virgin Mobile to the UAE at a press conference today. There are quite a few questions that many of us have about the whole relation and I’m going to try and answer those as per my understating following the announcement.

Are we getting a third mobile operator in the UAE?

No. Virgin Mobile is a brand that belongs to Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), the operator behind du. It is important to distinguish that du is not a company but a brand operated by EITC. Similarly, Vigin Mobile is a brand being launched by EITC.  To give you a very generic example, think of du as Pepsi. It’s not a company but a product that is made by a company called PepsiCo. Just like the Pepsi brand belongs to Pepsico, the du brand belongs to EITC.

So where does Virgin Mobile fit in with du?

Virgin Mobile is the name of the new brand launched by EITC and as such, is a sister brand to du. While both these brands belong to EITC in the UAE, they will offer separate products and plans and thus, compete with each other at a certain level. Think of Pepsi and 7-up, both of which are carbonated drinks owned by the same company. But consumers have different tastes and du will cater to certain set of consumers while Virgin Mobile will target a separate set of consumers.

How does Virgin Mobile in the UAE relate to Virgin Mobile in the rest of the world?

Virgin Mobile in the UAE is going to be completely operated by EITC so everything from branding to products will be developed by EITC.  In other parts of the world, Virgin Mobile is operated by different companies, either as an operator or as an MVNO. EITC will not have any direct control over Virgin Mobile outside the UAE.

What kind of plans and services will Virgin Mobile UAE be offering

That has not been disclosed as of yet. Virgin Mobile will be holding an event in the next few weeks to announce their plans and products and reveal more about the brand and its presence in the UAE. Stay tuned to Tbreak to find out more about that.

Can I be one of the first to try Virgin Mobile in the UAE?

If you are interested in Virgin Mobile’s services, you can be a part of their beta testing group. Simply visit www.virginmobile.ae and sign up using your email address and mobile number to become a beta tester.

If you have any more questions about this announcement, please comment below and we’ll try and get them answered for you.

This article was originally published on Tbreak.com