Telefonica UK Limited

Reference number: 718822

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When o2.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0344 809 0202 is
  • Who else gives the postcode RG2 6UU
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Other names (3)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • O2 Trading name
  • Virgin Media O2 Trading name
  • O2 Drive Former trading name

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Payments & e-money Funds safeguarded
    Your money must be kept in a separate safeguarded account. If the firm fails, all safeguarded funds should be returned to you. With no upper limit, unlike the capped amounts under FSCS. Safeguarding works differently from FSCS, but protects your full balance when the rules are followed correctly.
  • Manage or trade investments FSCS may apply
    Eligible investment and pension claims are typically FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per person, depending on the product and your circumstances.
  • Lend or arrange credit No FSCS cover
    Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (8 permissions)
  • Arranging (bringing about) deals in investments
  • Credit Broking
  • Dealing in investments as agent
  • Debt Adjusting
  • Entering into regulated credit agreement as Lender (Excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
  • Exercising/having right to exercise lender's rights and duties under a regulated credit agreement (excluding high-cost short-term credit, bill of sale agreement, and home collected credit agreement)
  • Exercising or having the right to exercise the owner's rights and duties under a regulated consumer hire agreement
  • Making arrangements with a view to transactions in investments

Financial Ombudsman complaints

Ombudsman complaints

new complaints, January–June 2025
452
upheld, against a 31% median
82%
about banking and credit
443

A bigger firm gets more complaints simply because it has more customers.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number
01743099
Company status
Active
Company type
Private limited company
Incorporated
28 July 1983 (43 years old)
Registered office
500 Brook Drive, Reading, RG2 6UU, United Kingdom
Nature of business
  • Wireless telecommunications activities (SIC 61200)
  • Other telecommunications activities (SIC 61900)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Lutz Markus Schuler Director Mar 1968 1 Jun 2021 9 other companies
Enrique Medina Malo Director Apr 1972 29 Apr 2022 17 other companies
David Melcon Sanchez-Friera Director Aug 1970 1 Jun 2026 7 other companies
VMED O2 SECRETARIES LIMITED Corporate secretary Not published 10 Nov 2009 –

Other companies run by these 3 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
19
closed down
1
are FCA-registered
3

In the full report: all 19 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 3 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • The 3 on the FCA register, including 2 no longer authorised
  • The 9 companies these 3 directors run together
  • All 47 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

Telefonica UK’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (6) All events (106)

2016

26 August 2016

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

6 April 2016

  • O2 Holdings Limited took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2002

15 January 2002

  • Board replaced: all 3 directors left and 4 new directors took over

Companies House

2000

23 February 2000

  • Board replaced: all 4 directors left and 3 new directors took over

Companies House

1983

28 July 1983

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 106 events

  • All 106 events in its history (6 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 94
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Firms connected to Telefonica UK

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Telefonica UK. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms
3
share a director
3
share its postcode
2

In the full report: all 3 connected firms, named

  • How each is linked: shared directors (3), the same postcode (2)
  • Who links each one: the named directors, with dates
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Firms like Telefonica UK

Other firms of the same type (lender), nearest first.

In Reading

Virgin Media Mobile Finance LimitedReadingAuthorisedMI Vehicle Finance LimitedReadingAuthorisedInvestec Asset Finance PLCReadingAuthorisedMacbeth Premium Finance LimitedReadingAuthorisedMcDaan LimitedReadingAuthorisedPeter PalmerReadingAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Telefonica UK

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 19 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 106 events in its history
  • 3 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Telefonica UK Limited FCA authorised?
Yes, Telefonica UK Limited (FRN 718822) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since August 2016 and works as a lender. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is Telefonica UK’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0344 809 0202 and the website o2.co.uk for Telefonica UK. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is Telefonica UK a scam or clone?
Telefonica UK is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with Telefonica UK?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. It depends on the product, but payment and e-money balances should be safeguarded in a separate account, with no upper limit on the protected amount, and eligible claims may be protected by the FSCS. You can also refer complaints about Telefonica UK to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who owns Telefonica UK?
Telefonica UK is owned by O2 Holdings Limited, which holds 75–100% of shares, 75–100% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 6 April 2016.
Who runs Telefonica UK?
Companies House lists 3 directors of Telefonica UK: Lutz Markus Schuler, Enrique Medina Malo and David Melcon Sanchez-Friera.
How long has Telefonica UK been in business?
The company was formed on 28 July 1983, and has held its current FCA authorisation since August 2016.
How many complaints does Telefonica UK get?
In January–June 2025, the Financial Ombudsman Service received 452 new complaints about Telefonica UK, and upheld 82% of those it decided.
Does Telefonica UK use any other names?
It trades as O2 and Virgin Media O2. It has previously used the name O2 Drive.

Sources and links

The full report on Telefonica UK Limited

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