Ionica calls review at the 11th-hour
Telecoms company Ionica is reviewing its advertising account just one month before its official launch.
The business, which has been held by BST.BDDP for the past 18 months, was claimed to be worth 7m in 1994, however, sources suggest the budget will be downgraded substantially.
BST has been working on a national launch campaign but refuses to comment on the split.
However, it is believed Ionica has shortlisted Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe and M&C Saatchi. Media buying is handled by Pattison Hors-well Durden.
Ionica was granted a licence to operate a phone network in 1993 and intends to take on the might of BT and gain a share of the residential home telephone market.
Ionica’s network will use radio technology, rather than cable, and claims that its service will be cheaper than that offered by BT or Mercury.
Under the terms of its licence, Ionica must reach 75 per cent of the English and Welsh population within four years of launch. It intends to capture five per cent of the UK market in its first seven years.
