Time Warner Telecom announced that it will change its name to tw telecom (yes, all lower case) effective July 1. It's fairly anti-climatic news, considering the new name isn't all that different from the old one, and that Time Warner Telecom has come close to changing the name before only to postpone the re-branding. Some people already call the company "tw telecom" in passing, though usually with the initials capitalized. That familiarity will make it an easy name to remember and a natural change to make, if not a terribly exciting one. The company said in its most recent earnings report that is has already set aside $7 million to $8 million for a re-branding campaign, but it does not seem like it will cost much to imprint the new name on customers' minds.
In an interesting side note, Time Warner Cable, which had been an investor in Time Warner Telecom until about two years ago and with whom the latter has a naming rights agreement, reportedly will be spun off from parent firm Time Warner. Given the changing telecom landscape, I wonder if Time Warner Cable would consider changing its name to Time Warner Telecom (after the future tw telecom is done using the name, of course). Now, that would be confusing. By the way, has anyone read this book about Briton Hadden, forgotten co-founder of Time magazine? Good stuff.
For more:
- check out this coverage of the name change at The Rocky Mountain News
- read this post on the Time Warner Cable spin-off at BroadbandReports
Related article:
- Time Warner Telecom was one of our Top 10 Service Providers on the Cutting Edge last year