The country’s third biggest mobile operator, Orange Switzerland, unveiled its change of taste in branding on Thursday night.

The company, recently acquired by French billionaire entrepreneur Xavier Niel for 2.8 billion francs, has adopted the English word Salt for its new name.

The old name is a remnant of its past when it initially started in Switzerland as a subsidiary of France Télécom.

The brand change, reportedly costing around 40 million francs, will save the company almost half that amount annually because it had to pay for the right to use the Orange name, which it did not control.

With 20 percent of the Swiss mobile market, just behind Sunrise Communications, and dominant player Swisscom, Salt has just over 2.18 million subscribers.

The company is bidding to expand its market share with bundled packages, a six-week return guarantee for contracts and a pass that promises “the simplest tariff in Switzerland” that you pay just once a year.

A new offering is what it calls a “Salt Pack”, which includes a subscription, mobile phone, tablet and handy gadget all in one box.

Although the name has changed, it will take a few days for the mobile operator to change its face for the public.

The company is closing its 207 retail outlets for 72 hours starting on Friday to switch decor from Orange to Salt’s new black and white colours.

It also said its website would be offline from 9pm on Friday until Monday “to put the final changes to our new brand’s online presence”.

So for now, if you Google Salt Switzerland, you will still find information about Swiss salt mines and salt producers rather than mobile phone services. 

Check here for further information about what Salt is planning.