Greece-based operator OTE said it will bring its fixed, mobile and Internet services under the Cosmote brand in the coming months to provide a united commercial front on the market.
As things stand, Cosmote is OTE's 100 per cent-owned mobile subsidiary, which competes with Vodafone Greece and Wind Hellas on the mobile market. OTE provides fixed-line services as the country's incumbent telecoms operator.
In a statement, OTE said the new commercial brand would in future enable customers to access "integrated, upgraded, and innovative telecommunication solutions, in a simple, comprehensible, and unified way. The size, expertise and experience of the OTE group will continue to guarantee the quality of services to be offered under the -- now -- unified trade name."
Michael Tsamaz, CEO and chairman of the OTE group, said the establishment of a unified image for its commercial portfolio is the natural evolution for the group.
"We are improving ourselves for our clients, aiming to become their 'love brand'. This is why we have decided to join the forces of our two brands, OTE and Cosmote, under our new commercial brand; a decision consistent with market trends on European and international level".
Indeed, mobile brands are being repositioned across Europe due to shifts in strategy. As is clearly now the case at OTE, a growing focus on fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) has also seen other operators adopt a unified brand. For example, Belgacom changed its consumer services brand to Proximus, Telecom Italia adopted TIM for all fixed and mobile services, and the converged NOS and MEO brands emerged in Portugal.
FMC or multi-play service innovation is already evident in Greece: Cosmote provides OTE Double Play and Cosmote Family packages and Wind Hellas offers a strong line up of bundled and multi-service products allowing customers to achieve discounts by buying products together. Vodafone Greece also markets Hol Double Play GR plans and combines its services with those of fixed operator Hellas Online for a discount.
Meanwhile some industry observers might have expected OTE to adopt the Deutsche Telekom brand in Greece: OTE is 40 per cent owned by the German operator, which is on a mission to roll out the "T" logo and magenta branding colours across its European footprint.
Through its stake in OTE, Deutsche Telekom also has holdings in Cosmote Romania and Romtelecom, which last year unified under the "T" brand to reflect a more unified and integrated approach on the market.
However, the Cosmote brand is well established on the Greek market. Cosmote and OTE did not respond to requests for comments.
For more:
- see the OTE press release
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