Virgin Mobile has become the third mobile phone brand to operate in the United Arab Emirates.

The brand has been launched by existing operator du's parent company, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), which is part of Dubai Holding.

EITC said that Virgin Mobile is the first fully digital mobile service" to operate in the country.

The company first announced it would be bringing the Virgin Mobile brand to the UAE in January this year.

Although Virgin Mobile will use du's network, it is planning to offer different price points and contract terms.

The company said that potential customers can order new SIM cards, transport their existing number and monitor call and data usage through a new Virgin Mobile app, without having to visit a store.

Osman Sultan, EITC's chief executive officer, said: "We are delighted to add such a well-known global brand to our portfolio, which is critical to our strategy of offering more choice for consumers in the UAE.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said: "We have a fantastic team in place who I believe will make mobile better for customers across the UAE.

A beta service has been running allowing users to test the service for several months.

Listen to podcast: Virgin Mobile officially launched in UAE

Zawya 2017