Global ICT solutions provider Huawei has announced its decision to remove the 'Ascend' reference to all its device branding and marketing collateral.

In the past the Ascend name has been used to differentiate between smartphones and feature phones.

It has been used on the company's P6, P7 and Mate7 devices, along with other designators used to differentiate specific product lines.

However, the company believes the time is now right to drop the name entirely.

Yudi Rambaran, director of product marketing at Huawei Device SA, said, "All device branding and collateral will no longer carry the Ascend name. This is a business decision and we feel that the Huawei brand name is strong enough to carry our entire product offering. We have chosen to simplify our naming conventions as brand awareness has grown dramatically over the last 12 months."

"As we only have smart phones in our portfolio it is unnecessary to sub-brand... we will continue to differentiate between the three categories using the P, G and Y in our mobile phone portfolio," Rambaran adds.

As a general product reference guide, the company says P-branded devices are flagships, Mate is used to identify tablets, and G is for 'affordable premium' products.

In January Rambaran confirmed that while the company is primarily focused on the mid-to-high-end space, it would continue to service the entry level segment.

At the time Rambaran was quoted as saying, "Our focus is indeed on the mid-tier and high end segments. However, for Africa and including South Africa, we will continue to bring some entry level devices to the market based on our market share ambitions and consumer requirements. In addition, we will continue to evaluate our key focus areas and adjust according to market conditions as well as our strategies."