Telefónica Europe has announced its Q1 2011 results, with customer numbers reaching 57 million and income up 6.3%.
The UK part of the business - which trades as O2 - saw an increase in customers to 22.3 million mobile users plus an additional 2.6 million using Tesco Mobile. Smartphones accounted for 82% of total sales and upgrades in Q1, bringing smartphone penetration to 33% for O2 UK.
Matthew Key, Chairman and Chief Executive of Telefónica Europe, said “Telefónica Europe’s continued focus on delivering outstanding customer experience resulted in a strong financial performance in the first quarter of 2011. Our mobile data strategy is paying off, evidenced by four out of five new contract customers in the UK and Germany opting for smartphones, and 30% year-on-year growth in non-SMS data revenues. At the end of March 2011, Telefónica Europe’s total customer base reached 56.9 million - an increase of 5.6% year-on-year -driven largely by ongoing growth in mobile internet usage and the mobile contract segment, which accounted for nearly 450,000 net additions in the first three months of 2011. Reported revenues reached 3,892 million euros in the first quarter, driven by accelerating growth in Germany and a solid performance in the UK.”