with the latest exercise being the rebranding of the iconic Telkom Hillbrow Tower. After weeks of speculation Amith Maharaj, Telkom Mobile’s managing executive, confi rms that as of today the iconic Telkom Hillbrow Tower will for the next three years be associated with 8•ta. The fiberglass and steel ball, which became an iconic symbol during last year’s 2010 FIFA World Cup, has been repainted Rhodamine Red to match 8•ta colours. “It really gives us great pleasure to shout “Heita” to Joburg residents and visitors from our sky-high position,” boasts Maharaj. The rebranding took just over a month to complete. 8•ta was launched last year on 14 October and has since greeted and introduced itself on taxis, busses, billboards and public transport ranks. “The rebranding of the tower is an expansion of these initiatives.” Maharaj added that they had decided to give the tower a facelift while at the same time ensuring that 8•ta’s presence is felt by increasing its brand equity and awareness. “This is also to celebrate 8•ta’s first year of operating in the mobile landscape in South Africa and to mark the tower’s 40th year.” The tower has also been given a “green light” with the use of environmentally friendly lightemitting diodes (LED) lights. LED lights use 10 times less power than the previously used neon lights and have a longer life span. They also have a longer life span even when left on 24/7. “With the use of the LED lights we have also cut down the power usage from 2,000 watts to 400 watts per light. This is a great saving,” adds Maharaj. The 38 tonne, eight-storey-high steel soccer ball was erected as a symbol of Telkom’s readiness to provide 99.99% network availability during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. To complement the ball, the 269 metre-high tower has been covered with three 14.4 x 52.0 metre 8•ta branded leg wraps made of mesh material.