Telefónica Europe, the parent company of O2 UK, has released its financial results for 2010. It says annual revenue was up €15.255 billion (£13.06 billion). That's a 12.7% rise from 2009, which represents organic growth of 4.4% year-on-year. The total European customer base reached 56.3 million, 14.3% higher than the previous year.
Matthew Key, Chairman & Chief Executive of Telefonica Europe, said “Telefónica Europe delivered strong financial and operating performance in 2010 with continued expansion of our customer base and the fast growth of mobile data revenues. Significantly, our mobile broadband customers increased 38% year-on-year in 2010, resulting in a customer base of over 9 million - or 20% of the total mobile base (15% in 2009). This is further evidence of the impact the digital revolution and the growing appetite for mobile data is having on our business. As we look forward to 2011, we are ideally positioned to seize this opportunity and become a trusted aggregator of experiences in the new digital world. Furthermore, we expect that around one in three of our customers will have smartphones by the end of the year.”
In the UK, smartphones accounted for 70% of new contracts. O2’s total mobile customer base in the UK reached 22.2 million at the end of 2010 (excluding the Tesco Mobile MVNO), which is a 4.3% increase year-on-year. Contract sales were up almost 10%, but prepay sales were down slightly.