Vodafone brand becomes India-wide

Vodafone is a key player in the Indian telecoms market

The British mobile telephone company, Vodafone, has begun using its brand across India, officials say.

This follows the company's $11.1bn purchase five months ago of the Indian cellular firm, Hutchison Essar.

The company says that the brand change is one of the biggest in the country, covering nearly 35 million customers and 400,000 shops across India.

Officials say it will be one of the world's biggest rebranding campaigns and will cost several million dollars.

Correspondents say that Vodafone's purchase of a majority stake in Hutchison Essar India in March is vital to the British company's earnings growth, as it grapples with saturated cellular markets in the developing world.

The company says that it wants to become the top mobile provider in India by 2010.

The country is one of the world's fastest-growing cellular markets, with more than six million new customers a month.

India's economy is growing fast and its burgeoning middle class means the market for mobile phones is rocketing.