velcom to complete rebranding and become A1
Telecom, ICT and content services provider velcom | A1 (a member of A1 Telekom Austria Group since 2007) is completing the final stage of its rebranding. On August 12, 2019 the company will switch to solely using the brand A1 in its operations, the legal name will be changed to Unitary enterprise A1.
This change will be the result of velcom repositioning on the market: the company has been actively developing new business streams for the last few years. Thus, today the company's customers have access to mobile and fixed communication services, cloud storage and data processing, interactive TV as well as entertainment content.
«The presentation of A1 in Belarus is much more than just a change in velcom logo. By consolidating the new brand on the market, we complete the 20-year journey of velcom – the first GSM operator in Belarus, and open a new chapter in the history of the company as a provider of services in the field of telco, ICT and content services. Now our customers are able to get the whole range of products and services offered by the company from one supplier under the name A1», – CEO velcom | A1 Helmut Duhs stated.
In Russian, the new brand is pronounced as [ʌ ʌdin] and in Belarusian – [ʌ ʌdzin]. The combination of the first letter of the alphabet and the first number of the number line in the name A1 means «first-class», «excellent». The company's new brand colours are white as the primary one, as well as red and black as accents.
For A1 customers, such a change in the company's brand will not entail the need to conclude new agreements or replace customer equipment (SIM cards, routers, set-top boxes, etc.). The terms of previously concluded agreements (including those related to the purchase of equipment by instalments) remain the same. Nevertheless, the name of velcom network on the screens of smartphones and other devices will change to A1 BY. The company's use of velcom and velcom | A1 brands in communication will be discontinued starting from August, 12.
To mark the completion of the final stage of rebranding, A1 company invites all Minsk residence and guests of the capital to a large open-air concert, which will take place on Sunday on August, 11 at the square near the Sports Palace. Such bands as Bez Bileta (Belarus) and Morandi (Romania), as well as Goran Bregović with his orchestra (Serbia) will perform on the same stage. The concert starts at PM6, the entrance is free.
About A1 in Belarus
A1 is largest private telecom, ICT & content service provider in Belarus. The company began its commercial activity on April 16, 1999 and became the first GSM mobile operator in the country. Since November 2007, the company is part of A1 Telekom Austria Group. Until August, 2019 the company conducted operations under the brand velcom. The mobile customer base of A1 in Belarus is over 4.87 m people, more than 1 m households have access to fixed-line communications using GPON and Ethernet standards in all regional capitals and the majority of county towns. Additionally, A1 provides IPTV services under its brand VOKA as well as data storage and cloud services through own data center.
About A1 Telekom Austria Group
A1 Telekom Austria Group is a leading provider of telecommunications services and digital solutions in CEE with a total customer base of approximately 25 m users. The company operates in seven core markets: Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and North Macedonia. The total revenue of the A1 Telekom Austria Group amounted to 4.47 billion euro as of end of 2018. The total number of employees is around 19,000 people. With América Móvil as its majority shareholder, A1 Telekom Austria Group forms part of a world-leading multinational telecommunications group.