The re-branding marks the completion of UK-based Vodafone's acquisition of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunication Ltd's Indian assets in May 2007. The company was in July 2007 renamed Vodafone Essar.

India will now become the 26th country where Vodafone has operations, covering across five continents and 40 partner networks with over 200 million customers worldwide.

"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," a Vodafone Essar statement said.

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."

Company marketing and new business director Harit Nagpal termed the transition as probably the largest ever undertaken in the country. "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."

A Vodafone Essar spokesperson said the pug that has come to represent the company would remain.

Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group Plc. Hutch had 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 per cent of India's mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers.