Telefónica Europe business was rebranded to 'O2 Online' which continues in the UK as a mobile communications service provider tied to the O2 UK network. The Genie portal properties were rebranded O2 Active in UK, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, and Genie Asia became O2 Asia. O2 Asia became a subsidiary of O2 UK for governance purposes. On 31 October 2005, O2 agreed to be taken over by Telefónica, a Spanish telecommunications company, with a cash offer of £17.7 billion, or £2 per share. According to the merger announcement, O2 retained its name and continued to be based in the United Kingdom,
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts was an Australian government department that existed between October 1998 and December 2007. The Department was closed on December 3, 2007, and its authority was transferred to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. While operational, information about the department's functions and government funding allocation originally could be found in the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the annual Portfolio Budget Statements and in the Department's annual reports. At the time of its creation, the Department was responsible for: The Department was an Australian