Telefonica snaps up Jajah

The latest acquisition could help expand O2's range of comms services

O2 parent company Telefonica has announced it is buying IP communications firm Jajah, in a €145 million move which it hopes will broaden the scope of cutting-edge communications solutions it is able to deliver.

The deal, which is subject to approval by Spain’s competition authority CNC, will see O2 take control of Jajah’s range of consumer, small to medium and large enterprise solutions, which allow users to communicate via the internet regardless of device or location, the firm said.

"The acquisition of Jajah broadens the scope of our communications offering and opens up new capabilities in the voice communication space,” said Matthew Key, chairman and chief executive of Telefónica Europe.

"People using social networking sites such as Twitter now have an even wider range of communications channels available – and have the option of speaking directly to each other as well as communicating by text or keyboard."

Under the terms of the deal, Jajah will continue to operate under the same brand, reporting into Telefónica Europe.

"This is a very exciting union of a young, innovative company with one of the largest integrated communications companies in the world,” said Jajah chief executive Trevor Healy. “Together, we look forward to creating the next generation of communication."