Canadian Carrier To Re-brand As Rogers Wireless
Canadian GSM service provider Rogers AT&T Wireless is changing its name to just ‘Rogers Wireless’ effective immediately. The company, which has estimated the change at US$15.4M, feels that the Rogers brand is strong enough to carry the operator, and will alleviate confusion and allow for the eventual creation of a stronger brand. We agree. Rogers is a formidable media outlet in Canada with leading video stores, cable TV, broadband Internet, wireless phones, radio stations, and magazines. Meanwhile, AT&T has been fading as a brand since they renamed their Canadian telco operation Allstream. Despite the change in name, ATTWS will retain its 34% ownership in Rogers Wireless. We also expect continued collaboration between the two companies, as Rogers uses ATTWS’ large scale to piggyback handset purchasing, technology vendors, and product roll-outs. For example, it’s no surprise that Rogers is moving to EDGE just after ATTWS. The companies will also continue to partner in order to offer customers flexible roaming between the two countries.
