AT&T dubbed most valuable brand in telecom

AT&T Inc.’s (T) image may have been shaken domestically by troubled iPhone connections, but the company’s brand has never been stronger worldwide, according to a retail ranking conducted by marketing firm Millward Brown.
The ranking found that the AT&T brand is worth nearly $70 billion, tops among worldwide “telecom providers.”
“The service-centric approach to its mobile, fixed line and Internet services, benefited AT&T hugely as convergence of these platforms completes,” the firm stated, adding that the AT&T brand was No. 7 worldwide across all segments.
Second on the list of telecom providers was China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) valued at $57.3 billion, followed by United Kingdom-based Vodafone Group plc ($43.6 billion), United States-based Verizon Communications Inc. ($42.8 billion) and German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom AG ($29.8 billion). Rounding out the top 10 were Spain-based Movistar ($27.2 billion), French-based Orange ($17.6 billion), Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. ($15.4 billion), U.K.-based 02 ($11.7 billion) and Telecom Italia ($11.6 billion).
Beyond the value of brands, the report also found that China Mobile was feeling competitive pressure at home from the 3G rollouts of rivals China Unicom (CHU) and China Telecom (CHA); pricing pressure in Latin America has resulted in customers carrying devices from multiple operators as a less expensive alternative to paying excessive toll charges; consumers in developing markets look towards developed countries for trusted brands; and that more expensive brands tend to be more desirable to consumers.