BT will continue to use its historic brand name, in a bold strategy overhaul by chief executive Allison Kirkby.
The BT brand is a well-known household name in the UK and plans to drop its ‘flagship’ brand were announced in 2022 when the company said it would be focusing on selling broadband and mobile services under the EE name.
According to the Telegraph, however, these plans are no longer in place, “amid concerns that dropping the historic brand risked alienating older customers”, meaning that both the BT and EE brands will continue to be used side by side.
Pressure from the company’s largest shareholder Sunil Bharti Mittal - with a stake of almost 25% - has also prompted the change, with Mittal summoning executives for two days of strategy meetings and with Kirkby during the Mobile World Congress industry conference in Barcelona recently.
Kirkby will look to refocus BT’s core offering and has already scaled back a previously announced move into new products and services, while increasing its investment in Plusnet.
Under previous plans, BT would have remained the primary brand for business customers and the group’s corporate name, but consumers would have been encouraged to switch to EE.
Previously, the company was also prioritising the EE brand because of its reputation for good mobile connectivity and its popularity across different age groups.
A spokesman for BT said: “EE is our lead consumer-facing brand for converged mobile and broadband customers but there will always be a big role for BT as one of our most highly valued brands by our customers.
“BT will therefore continue as part of our portfolio of well-loved consumer brands alongside EE and Plusnet.”