Telefónica Europe

Telefónica Europe plc is since 2006 a subsidiary of the Spanish company Telefónica and operates under the brand name O2 telecommunications services. The company was founded as a spin of the mobile business, BT Group in 2001 under the name mmO2 and floated. In 2006 the company was acquired by Telefónica Group, since in the Group (including fixed line and internet thus ) of the Spanish group is the entire European business organized, but without the Spanish home market, where Telefónica continues as such, or in both cellular Movistar occurs. The German subsidiary, the former VIAG, now operates as Telefónica Germany.

History

The company became independent on 19 November 2001, when the BT Group shares in its mobile phone business into a new group, mmO2, seceded. Shortly after this took a comprehensive rebranding of its network operator in Germany ( Viag Intercom ), Ireland ( Esat Digifone ), the UK (BT Cellnet ) and the Netherlands ( Telfort ) on the O2 brand before. The individual national companies were named O2 ( in the meantime Telefónica O2 ) plus the respective country names in English. The German subsidiary was therefore Telefónica O2 Germany.

In 2003, mmO2 separated for 25 million euros of O2 Netherlands, which since then is called Telfort. Following a restructuring in March 2005, the company operated as O2 plc. On 23 January 2006 the Spanish Telefónica has completed the acquisition of O2 for the equivalent of 26 billion euros. This was O2 plc and Telefónica, together with over 100 million customers, the world's fourth largest mobile phone company after China Mobile, Vodafone and China Unicom.

Since 2006 also includes the formerly state-owned telecom company Cesky Telecom and the affiliated mobile operator Eurotel, the market leader in the Czech Republic, to the Group. The two companies merged on 1 July 2006, Telefónica O2 Czech Republic and led simultaneously by a rebranding of the O2 brand. In June 2006, the UK broadband provider Be was bought for the equivalent of around 74 million euros. Since August 2006, the O2 Group also owns a mobile license in Slovakia, where it is early February 2007, Telefónica O2 Slovakia launched as.

Towards the end of 2009, Telefónica Europe announced the takeover of the Hamburg- communications company HanseNet, previously a subsidiary of Telecom Italia. In Germany, the company was known under the brand Alice and had more than 2 million DSL customers. The integration of HanseNet was completed in March 2011.

In April 2011, it signaled the change of name of the German subsidiary Telefónica O2 Germany to the new company Telefónica Germany the interconnectedness of the global Telefónica Group. The change of name of the other country's companies were successively in the course of 2011. O2 has since only the product brand for private and business customers.

O2 and E - Plus have decided on 23 July 2013 to merge.

Structure

For Telefónica Group six European companies are among more than 42 million mobile and fixed network customers in Europe.

  • Telefónica Europe plc ( GB): Telefónica España ( ES)
  • Telefónica Germany (D)
  • Telefónica Ireland ( IE)
  • Telefónica UK ( GB)
  • Telefónica Czech Republic (CZ)
  • Telefónica Slovakia (SK)
Types of business entity International Securities Identification Number Telefónica Mobile telephony E-Plus
576911
de