Growing in Brazil and Germany

The company continues to look for opportunities to grow in its key markets, and 2014 brings two big news stories. On the one hand, Telefónica starts the process to buy the Brazilian operator GVT from the French Vivendi. An operation that reinforces Telefónica's commitment to Brazil, where it has invested more than 55 billion euros since 1996. Brazil already accounted for almost 25% of global turnover, and the incorporation of GVT's assets (fibre deployed in 156 cities), added to Vivo's extensive mobile network - 140 cities with 3G and 4G - made us the leading integrated operator in the country. And in Germany, in October 2014, we closed the acquisition of E-Plus, a subsidiary of KPN in the German market, and Telefónica Germany became the leading operator in this country. Thus, it begins a new journey, with around 47 million accesses, fixed and mobile, and combined revenues of approximately EUR 8 billion.

On the podium of Olympic sport

The Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are two years away and Spanish sport is full of promising young athletes in the different individual disciplines. But talent needs support, and Telefónica understood that. In 2014 the company launched the Podium scholarship programme, an initiative of which we have always been particularly proud. With the slogan "Be what you want to be. Be an Olympian", the company took 22 youngsters to the tracks in Rio, thus fulfilling their dream and that of the Spanish Olympics. It would do the same four years later at the Tokyo Olympics, with 57 athletes, as it will do at its next stop: Paris 2024.

Nadal, one ‘telefónico’ more

Telefónica announces a star signing in June. Rafa Nadal, the best tennis player in the world and the best Spanish sportsman of all time, is the new brand ambassador for Telefónica and also for Movistar for six years, which will be renewed for a further five years. Since then, customers, employees and friends of Telefónica have been able to count on Rafa in spots, events and meetings with him in different forums. We have supported him in his tennis academy in Manacor and have applied cutting-edge technology to improve his strokes. And we have enjoyed him very much. Also in 2014, the renewal of the agreement with another of our beloved ambassadors, Ferran Adrià, who had already been an ambassador since 2010, was announced.

The time of values

Telefónica also presents its first Digital Manifesto this year, which sets out the company's vision for making the digital world and the Internet a safe place that opens up opportunities for all. The protection of privacy and the creation of a trustworthy environment from the design of services has become one of Telefónica's objectives.