Press release

O2 today announces an agreement with Twitter which will allow O2 customers to receive SMS alerts from Twitter for free from August. This joins existing agreements O2 has with Facebook and Bebo, meaning that O2 customers can enjoy free SMS alerts from all three main social networking sites*.

The Twitter deal allows O2 customers to receive tweets from chosen friends, @mentions, and direct messages via SMS. They can also send and reply to tweets by text which will come from their bundle or be charged at the standard network rate**. Customers can already access their Twitter account using their mobile phone and as part of the agreement, Twitter’s mobile site will be heavily promoted on O2 Active.

Social networking over mobile is currently experiencing phenomenal growth. Over a million customers per month now access social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook using O2 Active. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of iPhone customers who have downloaded social networking applications. Over 12 million messages from Facebook are received by O2 customers every month.

“We believe that mobile will soon become the most popular way of accessing social networking sites, giving real time access to tweets and status updates wherever you are,” said Antony Douglas, Head of Content at O2. “The agreements we now have in place with Twitter and the other key sites brings this a step closer, making it quick and easy for O2 customers to access their favourite social networks straight from their mobile.”     

The agreement with O2 in the UK will form a framework for future agreements between Twitter and Telefónica operations globally. 

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*Subject to excessive use policy. Users will be asked to moderate their use of the service if they exceed 600 messages per month.
**Text messages cost 10p each out of bundle

For further information please contact:

Nick Wilkins
PR Manager
O2
nick.wilkins@O2.com
m +44 (0)771 2020937 

O2 press office: +44 (0)1753 565656

All O2 news can be accessed at our website: http://mediacentre.o2.co.uk/

About O2

• Telefónica O2 UK Limited is a leading communications company for consumers and businesses in the UK, with 20.8 million mobile customers and over 404,000 fixed broadband customers as at 31 March 2009. 
• Telefónica O2 UK Limited is part of Telefónica Europe plc which is a business division of Telefónica S.A. and which owns O2 in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic, and has 46 million customers.
• In 2006 Telefónica Europe acquired Be*, the UK fixed broadband provider, and in October 2007 O2 launched its broadband service using the Be* network.
• O2 is the naming rights partner of The O2, the world-class entertainment venue.
• O2 was ranked highest in customer satisfaction for both UK mobile and fixed broadband customers according to the J.D. Power and Associates UK Mobile and Fixed Broadband Studies 2009.
• In February 2009 O2 became the first UK mobile operator to be officially certified with the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of O2’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and the 15% reduction in energy consumption achieved over the past three years.
• O2 was launched on 1 May 2002 and now has more customers than any other UK mobile network. 
• O2’s UK mobile network covers 99% of the UK’s population.  O2’s 3G network covers over 80% of the UK population and is fully HSDPA-enabled, providing speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps for customers with an HSDPA-enabled device.
• Telefónica Europe also owns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany. 

For further press information about O2 go to http://mediacentre.o2.co.uk

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