Partner, about to operate the GSM cellular network in Israel, has decided to change its brand name and adopt the British brand name Orange, which is to become an international brand name. This was announced today by Partner CEO Amikam Cohen and the Orange group’s international commercial activities’ manager Ian Pond, at the company’s Bristol, UK headquarters.
Orange is a public company, traded on London’s stock exchange. It has won operating tenders in Austria, Belgium and Switzerland, and also operates GSM cellular phone companies in Germany and France. Orange’s main shareholders are Hutchison Telcom (49%), which holds 46.7% shares in Partner.
Partner will also be called Orange in the future, as part of the company’s international strategy. According to Yaakov Kedmi, deputy director for marketing of Partner-Orange, the decision to change the name to Orange stems from the decision by Orange UK to become an international brand name following its winning of tenders in various European markets.
Use of the international brand name will enable joint activities with Orange while taking advantage of the economy of scale. The estimate is that the use of an international brand name, very well known within the international financial community, will facilitate a Partner issue in the future.
Published by Israel's Business Arena September 14, 1998