PTK Centertel hopes rebranding will help boost stagnant subscribe numbers

Investors do not fear the costs connected with the re-branding process, and continue to buy Telekomunikacja Polska (TP)'s shares. Yesterday, the company's standing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) increased by 3.4%. At the close of trade the price of TP's shares reached zł.24.6 per unit, the highest figure since February 2001. This is all in spite of the fact that the operator recently announced it would not be able to meet its plans of increasing its sales revenues. According to H1 data, the current number of PTK Centertel's subscribers is 8.6 million, which constitutes about a third of the mobile phone market. The company hopes that Orange will attract more clients thanks to a new offer, flexible scale of charges and a broader range of services. Using the Orange brand will cost PTK Centertel 1.6% of its annual turnover, or about zł.100 million. (Parkiet, p. 2) A.F.