O2 (Germany)
Encyclopedia
Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. OHG is a leading provider of broadband
and telecommunication
s in Germany. The company trades as
O2 (typeset as O2) and Alice. Previously Viag Interkom, it was acquired by Telefónica
in , and is a subsidiary of Telefónica Europe.
With the closure of merger with HanseNet on April 1, 2011 the company renamed from Telefónica O2 Germany to Telefónica Germany.
(45%), VIAG
(45%) and Telenor
(10%).
In , BT acquired VIAGs remaining shares for €11.4 billion, and the company was renamed BT Germany, it became a part of BT Wireless, a group of subsidiary companies owned by BT.
In , BT Germany demerged from BT and was relaunched as O2 Germany, a subsidiary of mmO2 plc.
In , Telefónica O2 Germany merged with HanseNet and renamed the merged company to Telefónica Germany.
. It was the first operator offering both Apple's iPhone 4
and the iPad 2
. Also, Telefónica Germany offers hosting services for large and midsized companies, serving some well-known portals including Spiegel Online
and Sevenload
. Together with Microsoft and Visionapp, Telefonica Germany provides a cloud service for Hosted Exchange
.
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
and telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s in Germany. The company trades as
Doing business as
The phrase "doing business as" is a legal term used in the United States, meaning that the trade name, or fictitious business name, under which the business or operation is conducted and presented to the world is not the legal name of the legal person who actually own it and are responsible for it...
O2 (typeset as O2) and Alice. Previously Viag Interkom, it was acquired by Telefónica
Telefónica
Telefónica, S.A. is a Spanish broadband and telecommunications provider in Europe and Latin America. Operating globally, it is the third largest provider in the world...
in , and is a subsidiary of Telefónica Europe.
With the closure of merger with HanseNet on April 1, 2011 the company renamed from Telefónica O2 Germany to Telefónica Germany.
History
Originally launched in as Viag Interkom, it was a joint venture between British TelecommunicationsBT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
(45%), VIAG
E.ON
E.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
(45%) and Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
(10%).
In , BT acquired VIAGs remaining shares for €11.4 billion, and the company was renamed BT Germany, it became a part of BT Wireless, a group of subsidiary companies owned by BT.
In , BT Germany demerged from BT and was relaunched as O2 Germany, a subsidiary of mmO2 plc.
In , Telefónica O2 Germany merged with HanseNet and renamed the merged company to Telefónica Germany.
Products
Telefónica Germany operates second and third generation mobile networks, allowing customers to use GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA for data connections. Most of O2 plans are available both in a pre- and post-paid version, including the all-in-one-flatrates called o2 o and o2 on for enterprise customers. Beside the core business, Telefónica Germany is one of the largest retailers for cell phones and tablets without a SIM lockSIM lock
A SIM lock, simlock, network lock or subsidy lock is a capability built into GSM phones by mobile phone manufacturers. Network providers use this capability to restrict the use of these phones to specific countries and network providers...
. It was the first operator offering both Apple's iPhone 4
IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
and the iPad 2
IPad 2
The iPad 2 is the second and current generation of the iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple. It serves primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, presentations and web content, and is available in black or white...
. Also, Telefónica Germany offers hosting services for large and midsized companies, serving some well-known portals including Spiegel Online
Spiegel Online
Spiegel Online , the online version of German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, is one the most visited news websites written in the German language.- Company :...
and Sevenload
Sevenload
Sevenload is an online video and Web-2.0 media platform used for managing video and multimedia contents. Since its founding in April 2006, the platform emerged on international markets to become a Social Media Network for photos, videos and web TV content...
. Together with Microsoft and Visionapp, Telefonica Germany provides a cloud service for Hosted Exchange
Hosted exchange
The term hosted exchange refers to a service in the telecommunications industry whereby a provider makes an e-mail box and space available on a server so its clients can host their data on the server. The provider manages the hosted data of its clients on the server...
.
Competition
- Aldi TalkAldi TalkAldi Talk is a mobile virtual network operator in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In Germany, it uses the E-Plus network. In Belgium, it uses Base...
(using E-Plus) - E-PlusE-PlusE-Plus is a mobile telecommunications operator in Germany. With 19.0 million subscribers, E-Plus is the third largest mobile operator in Germany, after T-Mobile and Vodafone ....
- Ortel Mobile (using E-Plus)
- SimyoSimyosimyo is a no frills brand of a mobile virtual network operator operated by KPN in Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Spain.The company was founded in May 2005. Its headquarters are in Düsseldorf from a four-member team led by Rolf Hansen, the current CEO. Participation was initially...
(using E-Plus) - T-MobileT-MobileT-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
- TELE2 Mobile (using ?)
- VodafoneVodafone GermanyVodafone D2 is a mobile telephone company, operating in Germany. It is a non-listed, wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
- Yukoono (using Vodafone)