TELEFONICA UK LIMITED
Operating primarily under the O2 brand, the company provides wireless telecommunications services across the UK and forms part of the Virgin Media O2 joint venture co-owned by the Spanish multinational Telefónica and Liberty Global.
Get an alert when TELEFONICA UK LIMITED files next
Leroy will email you the moment a new filing lands at Companies House — one short note per filing, nothing else.
Cash
—
Latest balance sheet
Net assets
£10bn
+15.7% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
5,375
-2.3% lowest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£2.4bn
+71.5% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Telecommunications median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £5,945,967,000 | £5,626,807,000 | £5,253,887,000 | -6.6% | |
| Operating profit | £1,235,012,000 | £1,219,150,000 | £2,179,536,000 | +78.8% | |
| Profit before tax | £1,352,937,000 | £1,395,676,000 | £2,394,233,000 | +71.5% | |
| Net profit | £1,592,072,000 | £1,537,489,000 | £2,556,123,000 | +66.3% | |
| Cash | £43,071,000 | £22,311,000 | — | — | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £8,112,535,000 | £9,749,005,000 | £11,077,341,000 | +13.6% | |
| Net assets | £7,264,995,000 | £8,606,271,000 | £9,956,082,000 | +15.7% | |
| Equity | £7,264,995,000 | £8,606,271,000 | £9,956,082,000 | +15.7% | |
| Average employees | 5,467 | 5,500 | 5,375 | -2.3% | |
| Wages | £311,045,000 | £326,197,000 | £320,470,000 | -1.8% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £4,158,000 | £9,941,000 | £11,969,000 | +20.4% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £16,000 | £20,000 | — | — | |
| Highest paid director | £4,631,000 | £5,475,000 | £2,614,000 | -52.3% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 20.8% | 21.7% | 41.5% | |
| Net margin | 26.8% | 27.3% | 48.7% | |
| Return on capital employed | 15.2% | 12.5% | 19.7% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 42.4% | 34.1% | 31.1% | |
| Current ratio | 1.57x | 2.22x | 2.60x | |
| Interest cover | 20.71x | 20.45x | 35.84x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 5 times since incorporation
- TELEFONICA UK LIMITED 2011-04-27 → present
- TELEFONICA O2 UK LIMITED 2011-02-04 → 2011-04-27
- TELEFÓNICA O2 UK LIMITED 2008-05-30 → 2011-02-04
- O2 (UK) LIMITED 2002-04-19 → 2008-05-30
- BT CELLNET LIMITED 2000-11-01 → 2002-04-19
- TELECOM SECURICOR CELLULAR RADIO LIMITED 1983-07-28 → 2000-11-01
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- Other
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- KPMG LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“the Directors are confident that the Company will have sufficient funds to continue to meet its liabilities as they fall due for at least 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements and have prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis.”
Group structure
- TELEFONICA UK LIMITED · parent
- Cellular Radio Limited 100%
- DX Communications Limited 100%
- giffgaff Limited 100%
- O2 Redwood Limited 100%
- O2 Unify Limited 100%
- Statiq Limited 100%
- Telefonica Cybersecurity Tech UK Limited 100%
- The Mobile Phone Store Limited 100%
- Weve Limited 100%
- Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited 50%
- Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited 33.33%
Significant events
- “On 1 August 2025, the B2B operations were combined with VMED O2 and Jet Holdco Limited, resulting in a gain on sale of certain assets of £1,003.6 million.”
- “On 29 July 2025, the Company paid a dividend in specie of £1,054,657 thousand to O2 Holdings Limited.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
4 active · 57 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMED O2 SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2009-11-10 | — | — |
| MEDINA MALO, Enrique | Director | 2022-04-29 | Apr 1972 | Spanish |
| MELCON SANCHEZ-FRIERA, David | Director | 2026-06-01 | Aug 1970 | Spanish |
| SCHULER, Lutz Markus | Director | 2021-06-01 | Mar 1968 | German |
Show 57 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| BURGESS, Mark | Secretary | 2001-07-14 | 2002-06-28 |
| ELDRED, Nicholas John | Secretary | 1995-11-06 | 2001-07-13 |
| ELDRED, Nicholas John | Secretary | 1994-07-15 | 1995-02-01 |
| STAPLETON, Lynda Hulme | Secretary | 1995-02-01 | 1995-11-05 |
| STAPLETON, Lynda Hulme | Secretary | — | 1994-07-15 |
| O2 NOMINEES LIMITED | Corporate Secretary | 2002-06-28 | 2009-11-10 |
| BETT, Michael, Sir | Director | — | 1999-12-13 |
| BOOTH, Anthony John | Director | 1992-11-11 | 1994-07-01 |
| BRAMWELL, Philip Nicholas | Director | 2001-11-19 | 2006-10-31 |
| BULL, Ian Alan | Director | 1997-09-17 | 1997-09-18 |
| BURGESS, Mark | Director | 2001-07-14 | 2002-01-15 |
| CAMPBELL, Justine | Director | 2006-10-31 | 2008-12-29 |
| COBIAN, Patricia | Director | 2016-08-01 | 2025-07-24 |
| DAVENPORT, Richard Barker | Director | 1997-09-17 | 1998-01-22 |
| DEV, Vivek | Director | 2002-01-15 | 2008-12-31 |
| DUNNE, Ronan James | Director | 2005-04-20 | 2016-08-01 |
| EARNSHAW, Christopher Martin | Director | — | 1994-06-23 |
| ELDRED, Nicholas John | Director | 2000-02-23 | 2001-07-13 |
| ERSKINE, Peter Anthony | Director | 1997-10-24 | 2000-02-23 |
| EVANS, Mark | Director | 2012-01-03 | 2021-06-01 |
| FALLEN, Malcolm James | Director | 1995-08-31 | 1997-08-29 |
| FORD, Howard | Director | 1994-08-01 | 1997-03-07 |
| GORJANCE, William Matthew | Director | 2002-01-15 | 2002-09-16 |
| GREEN, Andrew James | Director | 1997-11-05 | 2000-02-23 |
| GRIFFITHS, Nigel Edward | Director | 1999-05-07 | 1999-11-01 |
| GRIFFITHS, Nigel Edward | Director | 1999-05-07 | 1999-11-11 |
| HARDMAN, Mark David | Director | 2025-07-28 | 2026-06-01 |
| HARWOOD, Robert John | Director | 2015-12-01 | 2015-12-18 |
| HARWOOD, Robert John | Director | 2001-11-19 | 2014-04-24 |
| HOUGH, Edmund Alan, Dr | Director | 1995-02-01 | 1997-08-26 |
| JARVIS, Katherine Ann | Director | 2008-12-31 | 2011-11-17 |
| JOHNSTON, David | Director | 2004-01-30 | 2004-08-20 |
| KEY, Matthew David | Director | 2002-09-16 | 2008-05-14 |
| LONGDEN, Andrew William | Director | 2000-02-23 | 2001-11-19 |
| MCGLADE, David Paul | Director | 2003-06-26 | 2005-03-31 |
| MOCKETT, Alfred Thomas | Director | 1994-06-30 | 1995-03-08 |
| MOCKETT, Alfred Thomas | Director | — | 1992-11-11 |
| NORTON, Niall William | Director | 2003-03-20 | 2004-01-30 |
| NORTON, Nicholas Charles | Director | 1999-03-03 | 1999-11-11 |
| PACK, Jeffrey | Director | 1998-03-17 | 1999-11-10 |
| PHILLIPS, Jillian | Director | 2001-09-19 | 2001-10-09 |
| PRIOR, Stephen John | Director | 2000-02-23 | 2001-11-19 |
| ROS BIGERIEGO, Ramon | Director | 2008-05-01 | 2011-03-16 |
| SHIRTCLIFFE, Christopher Charles | Director | — | 1999-11-10 |
| SMITH, Edward Augustus | Director | 2011-11-17 | 2014-04-24 |
| SMITH, Raymond | Director | 1997-03-24 | 1998-03-31 |
| TAYLOR, Cedric Stafford | Director | 1995-03-08 | 1997-10-23 |
| TAYLOR, Cedric Stafford | Director | — | 1994-10-09 |
| TAYLOR, Cedric Stafford | Director | — | 1993-10-11 |
| TILLEY, Michael David John | Director | 1994-06-23 | 1997-11-04 |
| TOWLE, Peter Frederick Howard | Director | — | 1994-12-13 |
| WARNER, Robert | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2000-02-23 |
| WARNER, Robert | Director | 1997-09-24 | 1997-10-24 |
| WARNER, Robert | Director | — | 1994-08-01 |
| WHELAN, Paul | Director | 2004-08-20 | 2014-04-24 |
| WIGGS, Roger Sydney William Hale | Director | — | 1999-11-10 |
| WILSON, David Andrew | Director | 1993-12-16 | 2000-02-23 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O2 Holdings Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 431 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2024-05-28 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-25 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-09-04 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2026-06-03 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-06-03 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-10-27 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-10-15 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2025-09-24 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2025-09-16 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-08-21 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2025-07-30 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-07-29 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-07-14 | MR01 | mortgage | Mortgage create with deed with charge number charge creation date | |
| 2024-10-23 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-09-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-05-28 | SH19 | capital | Capital statement capital company with date currency figure | |
| 2024-05-28 | SH20 | capital | Legacy | |
| 2024-05-28 | CAP-SS | insolvency | Legacy | |
| 2024-05-28 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2023-10-31 | AD01 | address | Change registered office address company with date old address new address | |
| 2023-10-30 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 6
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- Officers resigned
- 1
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.