BPL Mobile to keep brand name for 1 year

BPL Mobile, one of Mumbai's oldest cellular telephony operator, has received approvals from the TPG Nambiar-owned BPL to use the brand name for another year.

Armed with this, the company is refreshing its brand image with a range of hues and is shedding the blue colour it has been associated with for over a decade.

The Essar group-owned company's agreement with the Bangalore-based BPL group, which owns the brand through its flagship firm, had expired on March this year. BPL's top management had sought an extension and was in discussions BPL group, even as they were also looking at a bringing in a new brand, in case the talks failed.

Under the earlier contract, the company will be paying a fixed fee to the BPL Group and this is expected to continue. However, the fee structure could not be ascertained.

When contacted, BPL CEO S Subramaniam confirmed the development and added that the company was keen on building up the  brand for which it has already earmarked Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) for the next two months.

BPL Mobile was founded by Nambiar's son-in-law Rajeev Chandrasekhar and was later sold to the Ruias of Essar. In July 2005, the Essar Group had acquired all circles and operations of BPL Mobile for Rs 4,400 crore (Rs 44 billion).

The company was also revamping its brand and unveiling a new logo on Friday.