The jury is still out on whether brands matter in telecom services. Almost all brands acquired in India were extinguished overnight -- Hutch, Escotel, Spice and so on.

"Telecom brands do not have any intrinsic value. They are a mile wide but only an inch deep," says Nirmalya Kumar, professor of marketing and co-director of the Aditya Birla India Centre, London Business School.

And Bharti Airtel's rivals are no walkovers.

Vodafone has worked wonders with its imagery, Idea has connected well with rural folks and Tata Indicom has of late highlighted the low congestion on its network. Aircel has made a splash with Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the brand ambassador. Reliance Communications has got into the act with Hrithik Roshan.

In DTH, Essel has Shah Rukh Khan for endorsement, while Tata Sky has the infallible Aamir Khan.