When Orange and T-Mobile announced their merger plans last year, the companies said there would be an 18-month transition period in which the two brands would co-exist while the future branding strategy was decided. So we were a tad surprised this morning to hear the news that both brands would continue to operate, under the umbrealla of the new parent company, Everything Everywhere. Did this mean the original plans had been shelved, or was this just the start of the 18-month honeymoon period that had always been planned?

After a bit of toing and froing with the Orange press office, it seems it’s more a case of the latter than the former. A spokesman said the 18 months transition phase mentioned last year had always been intended as a minimum period, and that it is “too early to say” whether the two brands will continue to co-exist after this period, or perhaps a slightly longer one, is over. 

This could turn out to be great news for customers of both networks. Because if they are locked in a fight to the death, you would imagine that both will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that their network and their brand is the coolest, the most respected, and the one the parent company should invest in going forward. A few years ago, when Hans Snook was running Orange, you would have said there was no contest. More recently, T-Mobile, with its guerilla ad campaigns, could be said to have the edge.

David Murphy
Editor