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,
Mobal Communications Mobal Communications Mobal Communications is a telecommunications company that provides international cell phone and satellite phone service. The United Kingdom and Japan divisions are named Mobell Communications. The company was founded by current chairman Tony Smith. Mobal (under the name Mobell) was created in the mid 1980s from a UK company called Torrent. Torrent was an industrial tool rental company serving the construction industry. When cellular phones first became commercially available Mobal started renting these to construction companies to use on work sites. The company subsequently sold off the tool rental business, and form a new company solely renting cell