Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

O2, through its parent company Telefónica, has signed up to the EU-wide common framework to promote safer mobile phone use by teenagers and children, unveiled today in Brussels. It also strengthened its partnership with Childnet International, the children’s internet charity. 

Peter Erskine, chief executive and chairman of Telefónica O2 Europe, said: “Today’s initiatives help address the growing need to cast the safety net of co-operation between operators, content providers, regulators, governments and child protection organisations across a greater geographical area.

“The youth market in Europe now accounts for more than 100 million mobile phones as parents want to be able to keep in touch with their children. In tandem, adult content is becoming more widespread and accessible on Internet-enabled phones and cross-border crime, including grooming, is more prevalent. Today, we are stepping up our programme of advice and guidance for children, parents and guardians addressing these hazards in order to help stamp out access to inappropriate content, bullying and worst of all being contacted by paedophiles.”

The new European Union framework supports work already undertaken by O2 in this area following the industry-wide code of practice signed by UK-based mobile network operators in early 2004, later replicated in Ireland and Germany, as well as its joint activities with parent company, Telefónica. O2 was first mobile network operator to join the Internet Watch foundation and in 2006 was the first mobile network operator to sign up to the UK Media Literacy Charter, which promotes the development of skills people require to get the most out of modern media content. 

Today, O2’s UK web-site home page is profiling Safer Internet Day and promoting the work of its new partner in online child protection, Childnet International, which has produced a checklist of important questions for parents to ask a mobile operator when purchasing a mobile phone.

Last year, Childnet helped train more than 100 O2 employees to become child protection champions, internal experts that are helping to make sure that parents receive real, practical, useful and consistent advice from O2 regarding children’s use of mobiles.  In 2007, O2 will be working with Childnet to introduce a series of measures to help ensure that expert advice is readily available for parents who choose to buy their children a mobile phone.

O2 Airwave has today been awarded a £115 million contract to link the Airwave radio network used by the police and emergency services to the Tube’s new Connect digital radio system.  It is planned that Airwave will be operational on all Underground lines in 2008.

This will mean that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other UK police forces, including the City of London Police, will have Airwave radio coverage at all 125 below ground Underground stations.

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said: “The addition of the Airwave radio network to the new Connect digital radio system, currently being rolled out across the Tube network, is good news for London. It will bring added flexibility to the way that emergency services operate underground boosting the Metropolitan and City of London Police response to any incident on the Tube and providing extra reassurance to Londoners.”

“We’re delighted to have reached agreement with London Underground. We now look forward to implementing Airwave in the Underground as soon as we can. This work will extend emergency communications into London’s most important piece of transport infrastructure,” commented Richard Bobbett, CEO of O2 Airwave.

British Transport Police, which has responsibility for policing on the Tube network, already has radios which work underground. The current, long-established working arrangements allow for the MPS and City of London Police to access the Tube network accompanied by a BTP officer who has a radio which works below ground.  If needed, the police officer can also be provided with a BTP radio.

While the negotiations between London Underground and the various suppliers were taking place, vital groundwork was undertaken to ensure an early and seamless integration of Airwave with the Connect radio network.

Significant progress has been made to roll out Connect on the Tube network. The network is now live on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London Lines. It will be rolled out across the remainder of the Tube network on a line-by-line basis throughout 2007.

Airwave will be rolled out across the Tube network on the same line-by-line basis, starting with the East London Line, where the service will go live in April 2007.

O2 enters its fifth European market on February 2, 2007 when its new Slovakian unit opens for business and is already attracting potential customers, it was announced today.

Telefónica O2 Slovakia, which won the tender for a third in-country licence in August 2006, joins O2’s existing operations in the UK, Germany, Ireland and the Czech Republic. It has already received an encouraging start with more than 400,000 pre-registered potential customers and its adoption of the O2 brand follows the successful re-branding of the Czech Republic business last year.

Juraj Šedivý, general director of Telefónica O2 Slovakia, said: “The strength of the O2 brand is now being seen in Slovakia with more than 400 thousand potential customers expressing an interest in our services through registration. I would like to welcome them to O2’s existing 37 million customer base across Europe and look forward to providing them with services and customer care of the highest level.”

Telefónica O2 Slovakia plans to simultaneously open its first O2 branded shops as well as start co-operation with other retailers such as supermarkets, petrol stations, newspapers stands, electronic appliances shops by the end of next month. In six months since being awarded a licence, Telefónica O2 Slovakia has concluded a national roaming agreement, begun construction of its own network, implemented the O2 brand and developed a range of simple tariffs offering a standard price no matter the time of day.

About Telefónica O2 Europe
 
Telefónica O2 Europe comprises mobile network operators in the UK,Ireland and Slovakia, along with integrated fixed/mobile businesses in Germany and the Czech Republic - all of which use ‘O2′ as their consumer brand.  Telefónica O2 Europe also owns 50% of the Tesco Mobile and Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses in the UK and Germany respectively as well as having 100% ownership of Be, a leading UK fixed broadband provider.  In addition, the group includes the Isle of Man fixed/mobile operator, Manx Telecom, and O2 Airwave, which supplies secure digital communications to the emergency services and other public safety organisations.
 
Telefónica O2 Europe, part of the Telefónica group, is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has more than 37 million mobile and fixed customers.