The future for PTK Centertel is Orange - but at a price

Yesterday, PTK Centertel signed a deal with Orange Brand Services through which the operator is entitled to introduce the Orange brand into the Polish market. The license fee was set at the level of 1.6% of Centertel's annual revenues. Centertel's turnover in 2003 amounted to zł.5.6 billion, and if it remains at a similar level the company would pay over zł.90 million in royalties to use the Orange name. "I am sure that changing the brand would positively influence our operations. The primary benefits are attractive roaming offers, access to phones designed for the needs of Orange, and in the future, the possibility to make use of the company's experience in introducing UMTS services," said Jean-Marc Vignolles, PTK Centertel's general manager. However, he was unable to specify when the brand change over would be completed. Members of PTK Centertel's supervisory board assured that the Idea brand would not disappear from the market. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 6-7; Parkiet, p. 2) D.W.