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,
Institute of Science and Technology, UK Institute of Science and Technology, UK The Institute of Science and Technology is a UK-based professional organization which is a member of the Science Council and thereby authorized to award the designation Registered Science Technician (RSciTech), Registered Scientist (RSci) and Chartered Scientist (CSci). It was formed in 1948 as the Science Technology Association, became the Institute of Science Technology (IST)in 1954 and took its present name in 2007. The IST was formed specifically for science laboratory technicians, and continues to provide specialist qualifications in this area, up to Higher Diploma but has expanded the membership in line with developments in