O2 Has 25.1m Users And 97 Percent Outdoor 4G Coverage

O2 now has 25.1 million customers (including Giffgaff) and outdoor 4G coverage of 97 percent as the Telefonica-owned operator continues its momentum following the failed merger with Three last year.

Revenues increased by 2.6 percent over the past six months to £2.8 billion as service revenues rose by 1.3 percent.

The network attributed the growth, and low churn rate, to customer service and to O2 Refresh – the offer which separates the cost of a customer’s handset from their tariff.

O2 results

“We remain firmly focused on providing our customers with a superior mobile experience and unique propositions,” said CEO Mark Evans. “Our robust first half performance demonstrates how fiercely we continue to compete, by differentiating in the market as the only true customer led mobile player.

“We are investing significant sums in our network and our customers are rewarding us with market leading loyalty.”

O2 says network investment has risen by 15.4 percent and he company is investing in small cells to boost its coverage in London. RootMetrics figures released today showed O2 4G was available to users 81 percent of the time.

Traffic has risen by 64 percent but O2 came under fire this week after it emerged it throttled users when they were roaming within the European Union (EU). This means speeds are significantly slower outside the UK, despite the fact the EU abolished roaming charges last month, and O2 made a point of masquerading the ruling as a promotion.

O2 said this was a temporary measure to cope with the dramatic increase in demand.

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