Odido CEO says T-Mobile in the Netherlands ‘no longer has anything at all to do with Deutsche Telekom’
As of this week, T-Mobile Netherlands is now known as Odido — a brand it established a last year — replacing both the T-Mobile and Tele2 brands on the market. The rebranding is part of the company’s larger renewed focus on customer service and new subscription services, it explained.
Current CEO Søren Abildgaard will remain at the helm of Odido, and said the goal is to “shake off” who the company has been and T-Mobile in the Netherlands “no longer has anything at all to do with that brand and its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, in terms of ownership.”
When operating under the T-Mobile brand name, the company had to discuss all substantial changes to products and offerings with DT; however, Abildgaard said that thanks to the rebrand, this is no longer necessary.
He also claimed that Odido is “going to do things differently than has been usual in telecom until now.” For instance, unlike other telcos, which are turning to AI to improve customer service, Odido hopes to impress customers with the promise to real agents rather than virtual. Further, Abildgaard shared how the term ‘mobile’ in the brand didn’t appropriately describe the operator’s goals and services, which are heavily focused on fiber Internet and fixed broadband connections. Odido, in fact, hopes to connect six million households with fiber. The company will also offer unlimited data packages and education programs around digital technology.
“It is not as easy as it seems for customers, people are concerned about internet security, find unlimited internet or fibre optic expensive and calling customer service remains an inconvenience,” commented Odido CCO Tisha van Lammeren, adding that customer satisfaction “is many times lower” in telecommunications compared to other industries.
Other brands that fall under Odido include Ben, Simpel and Tele2 Thuis, all of which will be retained.