T-Mobile and UPC Austria become Magenta Telekom

T-Mobile Austria has merged its operations with cable subsidiary UPC Austria to create an integrated service provider to be known as Magenta Telekom after Deutsche Telekom Group’s flagship product brand.

The Deutsche Telekom subsidiary will market its services under the Magenta retail brand, while retaining the T logo as its corporate brand.

The company plans to begin phasing in its new brand communication immediately, and to gradually build up its use.

The combined company’s official name will be Magenta Telekom GmbH. At a yet-to-be decided date in the future, that name will supplant the name T-Mobile Austria GmbH.

With a bundled offering of mobile and fixed-network services based on the combination of its mobile infrastructure and UPC’s cable network, Magenta Telekom will adopt the convergence strategy of its parent company in other European markets.

“In Austria, compared to our other markets, Magenta will figure even more prominently in our communication. We want to establish a distinctive retail brand. From a strategic standpoint, this is a logical next step for us,” said Hans-Christian Schwingen, Deutsche Telekom chief brand officer.

“The [new] logo tells customers that the Magenta products and services they are buying come from the T brand. Therefore we are offering a kind of seal of certified origin and quality.”