Hutch Is Now vodafone

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Kolkata, September 20, 2007: vodafone, the world"s leading international mobile communications company, has fully arrived in India. vodafone Essar announced today that the vodafone brand will be launched in India from 21st September onwards.

The popular and endearing brand, Hutch, will be transitioned to vodafone across India. 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.

vodafone, the world"s leading mobile telecommunication company, completed the acquisition of Hutchison Essar in May 2007 and the company was formally renamed vodafone Essar in July 2007.

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."

Harit Nagpal, Marketing and New Business Director, vodafone Essar, said, “This transition is probably the largest brand change ever undertaken in this country and arguably as big as any in the world. 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."

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.

vodafone"s logo is a true representation of that belief - The start of a new conversation, a trigger, a catalyst, a mark of true pioneering.

About vodafone Essar Limited
vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of vodafone Group Plc and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular licence for Mumbai. vodafone Essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of India"s mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers*.

Over the years, vodafone Essar, under the Hutch brand, has been named the 'Most Respected Telecom Company", the 'Best Mobile Service in the country" and the 'Most Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year".

vodafone is the world"s leading international mobile communications company. 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 Essar Group is one of India"s largest corporate houses with interests spanning the manufacturing and service sectors like Steel, Oil & Gas, Power, Telecom & BPO, Shipping & Logistics and Engineering & Constructions. The Group has an asset base of over Rs.200 billion (US$ 4.9 billion) and employs over 4000 people.

*Figures from Cellular Operators Association of India, August 31, 2007.