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Visit the O2 plc Corporate Responsibility report 2005/06

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O2 Germany CEO statement

2005 was an eventful year for O2.

 

In October 2005 the Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica, S.A. mounted a bid for O2 plc. The takeover of O2 plc in January 2006 did not result in any job cuts in Germany: on the contrary, O2 Germany took on more than 600 new employees in the financial year 2005/06.

For O2 plc, the takeover signalled the start of a new era. In Germany, O2 Germany and Telefónica Deutschland will work closely together and develop into a provider of integrated communication and 'infotainment' services. To cope with this challenge, we will be recruiting even more employees in the next financial period.

In the future we will be able to offer our private and business customers both mobile and internet services from a single source. With the help of Telefónica Deutschland, for example, O2 Germany will enter the DSL market and provide its customers with voice and data services as well as exciting entertainment content via mobile telephony or the internet. Together, the two core products O2 Genion and O2 DSL will offer greater independence from the conventional fixed network, as O2 focuses on the market of the future - the converging telecommunications world of tomorrow.

Both O2 Germany and Telefónica Deutschland have grown rapidly in recent years and have achieved great success. O2's success story is based on three key elements: the brand, the products and motivated employees.

I am very proud that we were included in this year's Capital magazine ranking of 'Best Workplaces in Germany'. We came fourth among companies with 500 – 5000 employees. In the overall ranking of all 160 participating companies, O2 came ninth, and O2 Germany was also ranked one of the top ten best workplaces in Europe.

As part of our ambitious plans for the future, our focus is always on the customer. Our aim is to do more than usual for our ten million customers. This approach forms the basis of our social commitment.

Corporate responsibility is only taken on by those who really want to make a serious and lasting commitment. O2 can do. That's how we think and act.

We actively support groundbreaking projects in the areas of children and young people, education and culture, and environmental protection and health. At the end of last year, O2 Germany was awarded the 'ethics in business' seal of approval for its outstanding commitment to the environment and social action. This followed a study conducted by oekom research AG examining to what extent small and medium-sized enterprises operate honestly and sustainably beyond the legal requirements, and how far this approach is systemised. Those who set standards here, like O2 Germany, can be proud of the 'ethics in business 2005' accolade.

Children, young people and education need support from the wider society. A young company like O2 sees it as its job to stimulate this area and open up new possibilities and innovative paths. Education and encouragement to develop media skills are appropriate ways to encourage young people to best use new media, while at the same time protecting them from potential risks. For example, we are already in our third year of working closely with the German Children and Youth Foundation to advance our joint project "Schola-21".

Protection of youth is also a matter close to our hearts. In June 2005, with seven other mobile operators, we signed a jointly developed code of conduct for the protection of minors in mobile communications. With this, we are giving a clear indication of how important this subject is to us. We are currently working on technical solutions for the protection of youth, which we want to integrate into our products. But we also attach great importance to educating young people in the responsible use of mobile technology. Having already supported the development of a mobile phone course for primary school pupils by the Institute for Film and Image in Science and Education (FWU) in 2004, we realised that only a few Federal States were able to obtain the necessary license for using the course in schools, due to cost. In 2005, we therefore covered the license costs for the course for Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt.

I am delighted that we have been able to acquire the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) as a strong partner for our mobile-phone recycling program. We are donating the proceeds from returned redundant phones to the WWF and supporting the WWF nature conservation project by the river Elbe.

This is only a brief outline of the ways in which we meet our responsibilities day after day and aim to do our bit for the community. In this externally verified report you will find a comprehensive overview of our activities. We welcome any suggestions and opinions which might inspire a concerted dialog and constructive discussion. Please use the contact details are provided on the back of this report.

Rudolf Gröger, Chief Executive Officer, O2 Germany

 

O2 Germany community involvement by category in 2005/06

 

Text version of pie chart showing O2 Germany community involvement