Movistar is the major Spanish mobile phone operator owned by Telefónica S.A. operating in Spain and in many Latin American countries. It is the largest carrier in Spain with 22 million customers (cellphone services only) and 41.58% of market share.2 Its principal competitor in Latin America is America Movil. It offers GSM 900/1800 MHz (Spain) 850/1900 MHz (America) (2G), UMTS 900/2100 MHz (Spain) 850/900/1900/2100 MHz (America) (3G) HSDPA (3.5G) and LTE 2600 MHz (Spain) 1700/2600 MHz (America) (4G) services.
The Movistar name 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 Móviles purchased the BellSouth mobile operations branch in South America.
After the purchase of O2 in 2005 by Telefónica S.A., the company announced that the O2 brand would continue to be used in the UK, Germany and the Republic of Ireland, as a separate branch with its own board and management structure. Eurotel in the Czech Republic was rebranded as Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, as opposed to Telefónica Móvistar.
As of 2011, most consumer and business services from Telefónica – mobile telephony, landline service, broadband and television (satellite or IPTV, depending on the location) - in Spain and most of Latin America are marketed 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 (Telefónica MoviStar, Bellsouth, Unifon, Telefónica Moviles, Telefónica Movil, Movicom) in Latin America and Spain under the Movistar brand after the takeover of BellSouth's Latin America division.1. 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.
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