Movistar


Movistar is a major telecommunications brand owned by Telefónica, operating in Spain and in many Latin American countries. It is the largest mobile phone operator in Spain with 22 million customers and 41.58% of market share, where it also markets landline, broadband and pay television. Its principal competitor in Latin America is América Móvil.

History

The Movistar brand has been in use in Spain since the launch of GSM services in 1995. The name became effective worldwide on April 5, 2005, after Telefónica purchased the BellSouth mobile operations branch in South America. After the purchase of O2 in 2005 by Telefónica, the company announced that the O2 brand would continue to be used in the UK, Germany and Ireland, as a separate branch with its own board and management structure.
Since 2011, Telefónica has sponsored a UCI ProTeam squad in cycling under the name of, and since 2014, the MotoGP team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP.

Countries where Telefónica operates under the Movistar brand

The 1983 song "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves was used by Telefónica to announce the unification of all its operation brands in Latin America and Spain under the Movistar brand after the takeover of BellSouth's Latin America division.. Movistar has also used the New Radicals' hit "You Get What You Give", "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors and currently "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train, and other versions of the song, in audiovisual advertisement.