O2 has reported a 43% surge in customer additions to 1.1 million for the year ended 31 December 2008. The operator reported its results today (27 Feb).
The network ended 2008 with a total mobile base of 19.5 million lines, excluding Tesco Mobile. It added 798, 690 contract customers and 289,176 prepay users last year.
O2’s Sim-only Simplicity tariff accounted for around a quarter of new consumer contracts and now represents more tan 10% of the operator’s consumer postpay base. Broadband sales accelerated four-fold to 340,000.
The network added 499,000 fixed and mobile customers during the quarter, and ended 2008 with a total customer base up by 7.5% to 22 million.
Meanwhile, top end models such as iPhones and Blackberrys also accounted for the operator’s strong UK performance.
Telefonica Europe chairman and chief executive, Matthew Key, said the results are ‘further evidence of the resilience of the telecoms sector’, but warned, ‘there is no room for complacency as our industry is by no means immune’.