TDE.L Regulatory News (TDE)

15 Nov 2006 09:30

Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, A.S.15 November 2006 Press release Telefonica O2 registers 450,000 ADSL subscribers in the Czech Republic Date: 15. 11. 2006 Telefonica O2 Czech Republic connected its 450,000th aDSL broadband Internetsubscriber today. The operator's record customer growth has been supportedespecially by the offer of expanded coverage, speed and feature improvementswhich have positioned aDSL as the leading broadband technology in the CzechRepublic. "We are very pleased with the continued customer interest and growth in usage ofour aDSL internet services. When compared to other Broadband technologies in theCzech Republic aDSL is clearly the fastest growing offering good value for moneyin terms of reliability and security of connection. We continue to deliver andexpand on the services our customers demand, and believe that our O2 InternetExpres aDSL services and recently launched O2 TV services add and provide greatvalue," says Simon Burckhard, Chief Sales Officer (Residential Segment). ADSL connections are currently the most widely-used, most accessible and fastestgrowing type of broadband connection on the Czech market. This fact has beenproven primarily by the rapid increase of new subscribers. When ADSL serviceswere launched in March 2003, aDSL broadband Internet was made available inPrague, Brno, and Ostrava, which represented nearly 44% of all phone lines inthe Czech Republic. At the end of 2004, the company registered its first 100thousand subscribers, and a year later their number leaped up to 275 thousand.In August of this year, the 400th thousand subscriber barrier was crossed. Overthe last three months, the number of customers with ADSL connections increasedby a total of 50,000 and thus crossed yet another milestone border. Retailcustomers of Telefonica O2 represented over 90% of these net adds. Combined with over 90,000 customers using wireless broadband services on CDMAand HSDPA technologies, Telefonica O2 now provides broadband internet servicesto over 540,000 customers. For further information, please contact: MARTIN ZABKA Spokesperson tel: 800 163 342 (800 1 MEDIA)fax: 271 469 896e-mail: public.relations.cz@o2.com http://www.cz.o2.com/ About Telefonica O2 Czech Republic Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, a.s., is the first integrated operator in theCzech Republic. It was formed on July 1, 2006 by the merger of the country'sleading fixed line operator, CESKY TELECOM, a.s., and the strongest Czech mobileoperator, Eurotel Praha, spol. s r.o., into a single telecommunications company.The organization currently operates nearly eight million lines, both fixed andmobile, making it one of the world's biggest integrated operators. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic offers the most comprehensive portfolio of voiceand data services in this country. Special attention is paid to the use ofgrowth potential, particularly in the data and Internet sectors. Telefonica O2Czech Republic operates the country's largest fixed and mobile network,including a unique 3rd generation network, CDMA (for data) and UMTS, enablingthe transport of voice, data and video. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic also offersthe largest network of WiFi hotspots in the country. About Telefonica Telefonica O2 Czech Republic is a member of a powerful international group,Telefonica S.A, which operates in 19 countries and whose customer base includesmore than 180 million clients worldwide. Telefonica currently ranks among theworld's most dynamic telecommunications companies with a strong position inWestern Europe and Latin America. In terms of market capitalization, Telefonica S.A. ranks among the globalleaders of the telecommunications industry. Its business activities areprimarily focused on fixed and mobile markets, with broadband regarded as a keyto successful development. Telefonica O2 Czech Republic is part of the O2 Group within Telefonica SA. Itwill adopt the O2 brand for all consumer-facing activities. About O2 O2 comprises mobile network operators in the UK and Ireland, along withintegrated fixed/mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic. It alsoowns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses inthe UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100% ownership of Be, aleading UK fixed broadband provider. In addition, the group includes O2 Airwave,which supplies secure digital communications to the emergency services and otherpublic safety organisations. O2, a Telefonica company, is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has more than 35million customers across Europe. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange