Branding

BT EE building

BT finally makes EE its main consumer-facing brand

A sort-of rebrand means EE will become the flagship brand for consumers, and will ‘expand into new areas’ – though the BT brand will remain on home standalone broadband and landline services.

Facebook rebrands as Facebook

Facebook is worried people might get confused between the service and the company because they’ve both got the same name.

Verizon breaks Oath

Less than two years after coming up with the name ‘Oath’ to encompass all its media properties, Verizon has sensibly concluded it’s a rubbish name.

Huawei teams with Phones 4U to push own brand

Following on from the recent revelation that Huawei is to follow ZTE into the own brand handset market, the Chinese vendor has announced a partnership with UK retailer Phones 4U to bring Huawei branded devices to market in the fourth quarter.

Huawei to bring own-branded handsets to market

Chinese hardware manufacturer Huawei is following in the footsteps of its compatriot, ZTE, and tearing the white label off its handsets. At least two own-branded devices, both running the Android operating system, look set to hit markets as early as September.

Branding can make all the difference

The future’s personal

Joey Barton and his fellow sportsmen might inadvertently be pioneering the future shape of the mobile communications industry. In the past couple of weeks, the maverick Newcastle United player has gone from zero to hero, at least in the eyes of Twitter users, as he dramatically increased his followers to 330,000 and counting. In doing so, he is participating in a fast-growing trend which may impact how mobile operators brand and market their services in the future.

ZTE reveals own brand handset plan

Chinese manufacturer ZTE, which is pretty much unknown outside of the industry as it is a white label handset vendor, is stepping out of the shadows and pushing its own brand. Through a deal with distributor Brightpoint, ZTE will have its own-label handsets on UK shelves later this year.

Branding can make all the difference

Investing in Africa tip eight: Build a distinct brand

Mobile operators in Africa are fortunate. Unlike in some of the world’s more developed markets, trust and familiarity are associated with many operators. The very fact that in many cases the mobile handset has empowered individuals means that mobile consumers often have a great affinity with the mobile operator brand.

DoCoMo brand to debut in India

Indian carrier Tata Teleservices (TTSL) is to launch a GSM service this month under the brand of Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, which holds a 26 per cent stake in TTSL.