Hutch is Now Vodafone

From September 21, 2007, Hutch has been renamed Vodafone. Vodafone had acquired 67 per cent in Hutchison Essar from Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa a few months ago, in a bid to enter the fast-growing Indian market.
The leading international mobile operator Vodafone will begin using its own name in India. Vodafone Essar announced that the Vodafone brand will be launched in India from 21st September onwards.
This transition is estimated to touch over 35 million customers across 400,000 shops and thousands of Hutch’s own employees, as well as employees of its business associates. This makes it the largest ever transformation for Hutch, considering the fact that in India, the brand itself has undergone several changes in the past.
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Hutch's migration to the Vodafone brand has been completed on September 21st, but the pug that made the mobile company ever so popular with the masses will remain.

The re-branding marks the completion of UK-based Vodafone's acquisition of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunication Ltd's Indian assets in May 2007. The company was in July 2007 renamed Vodafone Essar.

India will now become the 26th country where Vodafone has operations, covering across five continents and 40 partner networks with over 200 million customers worldwide.

"This marks a significant chapter in the evolution of Vodafone as a dynamic and ever-growing brand. The brand change over the next few weeks will be unveiled nationally through a high profile campaign covering all important media," a Vodafone Essar statement said here.

Asim Ghosh, Managing Director, Vodafone Essar, said: We've had a great innings as Hutch in India and today marks a new beginning for us. Not as a departure from the fundamentals that created Hutch, but an acceleration into the future with Vodafone's global expertise."

Company Marketing and New Business Director Harit Nagpal termed the transition as probably the largest ever undertaken in the country. "It is even larger than our own previous brand transitions as it touches over 35 million customers, across 400,000 shops and thousands of our own and our business associates employees."

A Vodafone Essar spokesperson said the pug that has come to represent the company would remain.
The brand change over the next few weeks will be unveiled nationally through a high profile campaign covering all important media.
Vodafone Essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of India's mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers.
It now has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with over 200 million customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market.

The Vodafone mission is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world – enriching customers' lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities be more connected by delivering their total communication needs.


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