News | FluidOne

How 6 famous mobile brands got their names

Written by Karen | 27/04/17 23:00
Now that you’re here, I should tell you that there is no number 6 (or 5). In future do not click on such click-bait social media introductory lines (if you came via social media, that is). We are serious journalists at FluidOne and will never mislead you into reading such sensationalist drivel. Now that’s over, it’s time to begin the crazy countdown!

4. Vodafone

Interesting fact, Vodafone were not always called Vodafone. Back in 1982, they went by Racal Strategic Radio Limited subsidiary of Racal Electronics, or RSRLSORE for short. At the time RSRLSORE were the UK’s largest maker of military radio technology and through a joint venture with Telco Millicom, commissioned the world’s first pocket-sized mobile phone.

‘Pocket-sized’ Whilst developing the tech, they realised they needed a name to reflect what it the phone would actually do. In this case, they planned to provision both voice and data services over it, hence voda (voice & data) fone (phone). I personally think Pokéfone works better but let’s move on.