In a bid to consolidate its global presence and to promote its offerings in 3G, telecom giant, Airtel has got a new brand identity with a new logo and positioning.

Talking about the new brand identity, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Airtel, says, “Fifteen years ago, Bharti Airtel started its journey in India with a promise of delivering world-class and affordable services. Airtel is in now present in 19 countries – 16 African countries, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.”
Mittal adds that the brand was so far known as Zain in Africa and Warid in Bangladesh. “Thus, the idea was to give the brand a uniform presence across all these markets. Also, the world is moving towards digitalization. From now, it’s also going to be about social media, commerce and 3G. Therefore, keeping the evolution of the telecom business as well as our expansion in mind, we decided to take brand Airtel to the next level.”
Designed by London-based brand agency, Brand Union, the new logo is the letter ‘a’ in lowercase, with ‘airtel’ written in lowercase under the logo.
Explaining the new look in detail, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, Bharti Airtel states that the new identity underlines Airtel’s willingness to embrace everything that is new.
He adds, “The logo type is modern, vibrant and friendly and signals our Resolution to be accessible to our customers and stakeholders. And the lowercase is our recognition for humility. The red colour, which is an integral part of the brand, continues to represent heritage, energy and passion. The new curved and the gentle highlight almost gives the impression of a living object; at the same time, it represents a dynamic force of unparalleled energy, brings us closer to consumers and is a symbol which will help ensure instant recognition across diverse international markets.”
Meanwhile, the telecom company’s creative partner, JWT has worked on the new positioning, which says, ‘Dil jo chahe pass laye’. For Rohit Ohri, managing partner, JWT, it was important to synchronise the logo with positioning. The new positioning is based on Airtel’s promise to its customers that it would deliver anything that they desire anywhere. With Airtel moving to the age of data, it was important that its new brand identity reflect the evolution.

Selling the new propositionThe new look will be promoted through television, print, outdoor and digital campaigns. While TVCs are currently on-air on various channels, the outdoor campaign is being executed by MOMS. Airtel has also tied with Digitas and Webchutney for digital promotions.

Speaking about the marketing initiatives, Mohit Beotra, head, brand and media, Bharti Airtel, adds, “There are two television commercials which are already on-air. Apart from this, the new look will also be promoted through newspapers, as well as on outdoor through signage and hoardings. We have also launched a campaign asking people to name the logo. People can answer through SMS as well as online. Based on the positioning, ‘Dil jo chahe pass laye’, the winner will have his desired fulfilled.”
Airtel plans to complete the rollout of the entire campaign in Sri Lanka in the next couple of weeks; while in Bangladesh, the campaign will be rolled out in the next 30 days. In the African nations, where the campaign will be executed by Ogilvy, the rollout will be completed by November 24. The campaign will continue until the middle of January next year, and will be followed by other campaigns on new offers from Airtel.

Reliving the past
Airtel made its debut in the business of telecom in 1995 in India, at a time when there were less than 1 million phones, all fixed lines. The initial look of the brand was designed by then national creative director of Rediffusion Y&R, Gullu Sen.
According to Sen, who is now the executive vice-chairman and chief creative officer at Dentsu India, when Airtel launched its services in India, it was almost introducing the concept of mobile voice services in the country. Hence, the two ‘swoosh’ design was developed and the brand was positioned as ‘Touch Tomorrow’, as it was about taking India into a new era.

Sen adds, “The transition of the brand is obvious, as many brands such as Apple and IBM have also evolved in their brand identity. However, the new look is not very edgy.”
The brand then went through a transition in 2002, when all sub-brands such as Telemedia, DTH, and the Enterprise business were brought under one roof and branded as Airtel. The new look was then designed by Bangaluru-based brand consulting and design company, Ray + Keshavan.

The Indian telecom industry has undergone revolutionary change during the past few years to become one of the leading markets in the world. Along with a high growth rate, scandals have been part and parcel of this industry, especially at the ministerial level. Former telecom minister Sukh Ram was proven guilty of a scam worth Rs 1,500 crore which involved a telecom equipment contract being awarded to a private firm.
Pramod Mahajan, another former telecom minister, was alleged to have favoured Reliance Infocomm. On the other hand, Ram Vilas Paswan had been accused of a Rs 13,000 crore scam involving the issue of telecom licences. The latest and most talked about scandal is the ‘2G license scam’ during A Raja’s tenure.
A Raja is adamant that he is not at fault and that he only followed the national telecom policy of 1999, the same that his predecessors had followed. So, what exactly did his predecessors do? Telecom Yatra takes a look at what all the telecom ministers before Raja did, starting from the year 1991.

Sukh Ram (1991-1996)Although the minister is credited with unleashing the communication revolution in the country, he was accused of being involved in a scandal worth Rs 1,500 crore. When Sukh Ram took over, 40 lakh people were on the waiting list for a BSNL telephone connection with waiting periods stretching from one to ten years. Sukh Ram invited MNCs to introduce the latest technology in the country, thus ending the long waiting list and ushering in an era of mobile telephony in India.
However, he was charged with corruption during his tenure and was convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for amassing assets worth of Rs 4.25 crore.
He was also accused of taking money for awarding telecom equipment contracts worth more than Rs 20,000 crore.
It was under him that the National Telecom Policy of 1994 was formulated, which envisaged the bidding process to sell spectrum, and licenses, to operators for telephony services.
The bill was controversial as it effectively blocked out the participation of Indian companies in the basic telephones tender by declaring that only firms with experience of laying down one lakh lines could apply.
Additionally, not all Indian companies were kept out by the bill. Companies which had foreign partners with 49 per cent equity were deemed eligible. Even subsidiaries of foreign companies with 10 per cent equity could bid, a further rider added.
Significantly, no Indian public sector company was allowed to bid. This LED to much criticism and the government had to declare on May 27, 1995 that PSUs could apply with equity participation from the private sector.
Sixteen companies submitted their tenders for 21 telecom circles. The highest bidder was Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (HFCL) along with Israeli company Bezeq and a Thai company called Shinawatra. They bid Rs 85,000 crore for license to operate in nine circles. This was about five times higher than what the Tatas, Ambanis, the RPG group and other players had to offer.
The government had put no cap on the number of circles one company could bid for, and the mindboggling amount of Rs 85,925 crore for providing basic services in nine telecom circles was offered by HFCL, which took the entire business community by surprise. Soon, there was talk of a deal between the company and the telecom minister.
It is alleged that as part of this deal, Sukh Ram imposed a cap of three circles for providing cellular and basic services in circles of category A and B. And in case of basic services, the highest bidder would be allowed to choose the three circles it wanted to operate in.
At that time, a lot of companies and their foreign telecommunications partners participated in bidding for the right to offer basic (wire line) telephony in India.
Companies that bid included multinationals such as AT&T, US West, Bell Atlantic, Nynex, NTT and Bell Canada, and small telcos such as Bezeq of Israel, and Shinawatra of Thailand. Their Indian partners included the Tatas, Birlas, RPG, Reliance, BPL, Essar, Shyam Telecom and Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited (HFCL).
The privatisation process, however, got stalled and it was only after the next government took over that the bidding process was completed and the private players started services in 1996.
Beni Prasad Verma (1996-1998)It was under Verma that the bidding process was completed. TRAI was also formulated during his tenure.
During Verma’s tenure Bell Canada and Swisscom had withdrawn from the Indian market and American companies such as AT&T and US West had frozen fresh investments blaming “unfriendly telecom policies”, particularly high license fee outflows and the lack of a powerful regulator.
Moreover, many South East Asian telecom operators also pulled out after 1996 in the aftermath of the South East Asian currency crisis, which reduced their ability to invest in other countries.
Verma, during his tenure, also handed out additional spectrum of 1.8 MHz to cellular operators in various circles without any upfront payment.
As a result, the exchequer got only the license fee share, but some operators delayed the launch and the government lost revenues because of this.

Jagmohan (1998-1999)In 1999 when Jagmohan took over the reins of the ministry, telcos owed Rs 3,500 crore as licence fee. The cellular telephone industry was posting losses worth $92 million every month, but Jagmohan was not willing to relent on his demand that telcos should pay their dues.
He was soon transferred to the Urban Development ministry. The portfolio was taken over by the prime minister A B Vajpayee.
Ram Vilas Paswan (1999-2001)Vajpayee appointed Ram Vilas Paswan as his minister of state. To help the industry come out of trouble, they together oversaw the formulation of the New Telecom Policy of 1999. The earlier practice of a fixed licence fee was replaced by a revenue sharing agreement.
Reliance Infocomm was allowed to offer full nationwide mobility. Paswan was alleged to have been involved in a Rs 1,300 crore scam in giving out licenses to GSM and CDMA players.
While territories were sold out to respective licensees through cellular service providers with the allotment of a Frequency of 6.2 MHz, realising about Rs 740,000 crore for the government, the same government provided basic service support through CDMA WLL technology at a higher frequency of 12.5 Mhz.

Pramod Mahajan (2001-2003)Pramod Mahajan succeeded to the post in August 2001 under controversial circumstances. He was tasked with implementing NTP 1999. Explosive growth in the mobile subscriber base was triggered in his time. Telecom companies saved thousands of crores of rupees in waived fees.
Mahajan was removed from the telecom ministry after the controversies over privatisation of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL). According to rumours, he managed to amass an estimated Rs 2,500 crore as his share of the spoils. He also allegedly dolled out undue favours to Reliance Communications.

Arun Shourie (2003-2005)He approved the grant of united access service licences on a first come, first served basis.
Shourie pointed to the telecom regulator’s recommendation and Paswan’s policy. He too was accused of devouring certain players.
Dayanidhi Maran (2005-2007)He was the one minister who did not court many controversies. He was liked by both, the industry as well as by consumers. He helped to lower call rates to rock bottom. He was also working toward reducing duty rates for the industry as well as making spectrum available by asking the defence to vacate spectrum. However, he had to exit in compliance with his party’s wishes.
A Raja (2007-2010)Raja gave out licences to new operators in 2008 at a rate fixed in 2001. Under him, DoT gave licences without the Cabinet approving the first come first served condition. It is alleged that the cut-off date for applying was revised from October 1 to September 25 to favour certain players.

Some allegations against A RajaHe is accused of favouring real estate companies such as Swan and Unitech. Swan got a licence for Rs 1,537 crore and within weeks offloaded 45 per cent of its shares to UAE-based Etisalat for Rs 4,500 crore.
Unitech got a licence for Rs 1,650 crore and also offloaded 60 per cent stake to Norwegian company Telenor for Rs 6,200 crore. As Telenor is operating in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the Home Ministry raised objections.Raja had also ordered BSNL to enter an unprecedented Intra-Circle Roaming Agreement with Swan. This was done just a few days before the Etisalat deal. This deal with BSNL helped Swan boost its share price.
It is alleged that the move by Raja caused a loss of more than Rs 160,000 crore to the state exchequer.
Kapil Sibal (2010-onward)Sibal has been given the charge of the ministry after A Raja tendered his resignation.

Bharti Airtel has crossed 200 million wireless subscribers mark worldwide. The announcement was made by Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Airtel, at a press conference here.
Out of the 200 million subscribers, 150 million are out of India, 40 million are in Africa and about 10 million are from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
As per the statement issued by the company earlier this month, the operators subscriber base stood at 194.8 million, across 19 countries at the end of September, 2010. The numbers include mobile services subscribers in India, South Asia and Africa, Telemedia services subscribers and Digital services subscribers.

IndMobile, a planet41 group company, has launched a new international SIM card service for Indians traveling abroad. The SIM is a prepaid card and will work in 202 countries across 400 telecom networks.
Yashi Goel, vice president, operations, Indmobile, said, “HopSIM is an international prepaid SIM card which works in over 200 countries over 400 networks and receives incoming calls free in 75+ countries.”
Being a lifetime card the SIM aims to offer a permanent mobile number to international travelers. The company also informed that unused talk time of a trip can be used in another trip to any country after any period of time. There is no need of periodic recharge to keep the SIM active.
HopSIM is currently offered in three different packages. The cheapest pack costs $16 with no talk time, followed by a $45 pack with $35 worth of talk time. The costliest is a $100 pack with $100 talk time. Users can buy talk time by recharging for a minimum of $10.
Travelers can buy these SIMs through the company website hopsim.com.
When asked about the targets that the company has set for the product, Somil Gupta, chairman, IndMobile, said, “We aim to get Rs 30 crore revenue in the first year and Rs 150 crore in the third year of operation.”
He added, “We will spend Rs 12 crore in advertising and a similar amount on expanding our foot print in the country. We are looking at tie-ups with travel agencies in the country as well as setting up offices in six-seven top metros in the country to sell the SIM.”
The SIM also offers free incoming SMS in all the countries.  Apart from that, users can also log on to Myhopsim.com to check their usage on a real time basis, and can also send free SMSs from the web site. The company claims that its users will be able to save as much as 85 per cent on calls using HopSIM.
IndMobile said that its subscribers will regularly be intimated about changes in tariffs for all countries.
Goel  said, “We will offer special rates to corporates and bulk buyers. For example, if two persons are traveling together, the first SIM you take costs you $16, and the second we will give at $8 only.”
HopSIM also offers benefits to frequent fliers of airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France, Ukraine Airlines, Thai Airlines, TAP, Oman Air etc.
This launch comes shortly after Airtel announced its World SIM which offers users the convenience of using their Indian number while traveling abroad. A quick comparison showed us that HopSIM is cheaper in most countries. For instance, while Airtel charges for incoming calls in the UAE, HopSIM offers free incoming.
The other competitor to HopSIM is Matrix, which is a post paid card. Matrix is not a life time card and the number keeps changing while traveling in different countries.
The company also plans to start a network reseller business in the UK and USA. Gupta said, “We want to be network reseller in USA and UK as these countries get maximum traffic from India. A network reseller agreement will help us reduce our call rates further. We have already applied for the license and we are hopeful to get it in next two months.”
Virgin Mobile in India is a perfect example of network reseller. Gupta said, “We don’t want to be MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) as that way we will need to have a big business selling even to domestic customers there, while as a network reseller we have the option of keeping the business (restricted) to our international SIM business only.” Gupta, however, refused to name the telco he is talking to.
HopSIM is also planning to launch region specific SIMs to further lower the call rates for travelers who go only to specific regions such as Western Europe, Middle East and South East Asia.