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We drive innovation
and the creation of technology
in order to continue projecting the future

Travel through time and find out more about our past, present and future

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Discussing Telefónica’s history of innovation involves referring to a path towards creation, evolution, endeavour and technology.

At Telefónica Innovación Digital we continue to learn how the future works in order to make it a reality.

1967 / 1987

We begin to conceive the future

  • We laid the foundations for an innovation strategy that is still in place today.

    1967

    Centre for Research and Studies

    We pioneered the first technological analyses, proofs of concept and technical publications.

  • The time comes to make innovation a reality. We launch the product design.

    1970

    Design and prototyping of our first products: phones, SATAIS and modems.

    HISTORY OF COMMUNICATIONS<br>Espacio Fundación Telefónica

    HISTORY OF COMMUNICATIONS
    Espacio Fundación Telefónica

1988 / 1994

The transformation of analog

  • We create a new company at Telefónica to promote innovation and address the progress of telecommunications.

    1988
    Telefónica I+D is born

  • We develop our own style based on three pillars:
    the generation of new ideas, continuous change management and the assumption of risks.

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    1989

    Tesys-B

    The first routers for data networks.

  • #

    1990

    Modular Public Phone

    The first smart phone boxes.

  • 1992

    Future of Telecommunications Pavilion
    at the Seville EXPO

    A journey through time that unveils
    new ways of connecting.

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    The Future of Telecommunications
    Pavilion, 30 years on
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    1993

    MORE

    New digital exchanges
    for new services.

1995/ 2005

The digital revolution

  • We evolve the core of our business in order to connect people more and better:
    we make Spain the first country in Europe in terms of Internet connections.

    1995

    The disruption of a telco that offers Internet.

    SEE ARTICLE

    SEE ARTICLE

  • We believed that to promote this new way of connecting we needed to be more flexible and efficient.

    1997

    CNSO

    The National Monitoring and Operations Centre.
    It remains the flagship centre for Telefónica’s network management.

  • We learnt how to use this massive network connection to transform the centre of entertainment in homes: the television.

    2000

    The first multimedia solution over ADSL.

  • We designed a pricing system to give our customers control over their services.

    2004

    Altamira

    The first real-time pricing and charging platform for prepaid customers. It is still in use today in several countries where Telefónica operates.

    The first real-time pricing and charging platform for prepaid customers. It is still in use today in several countries where Telefónica operates.

2006 / 2012

The time to open up innovation

  • 2006

    Telefónica Ventures

    Corporate Venture Capital
    for strategic investments.

  • We encourage the innovation and transfer of technology that protects the intellectual property of our developments.

    2008

    Patent Office

    The Telefónica Patent Office is created, encouraging creativity to improve our products and services.

  • We look outwards in order to bring new ideas, new business models and the very best technology.

    2010

    The latest social network in Spain
    joins Telefónica.

  • We encourage the innovation and transfer of technology that protects the intellectual property of our developments.

    2011

    Telefónica Digital is born

  • 2011

    We create our
    open innovation Hub.

    VISIT WAYRA

    VISIT WAYRA

  • We further the development of new communications, big data, security and video consumption services.

    2011

    CDN

    A further step for televisions in homes.

    2012

    The first managed connectivity platform for M2M.

    SEE ARTICLE

    2012

    Smart Steps

    The first big data product.

    SEE ARTICLE

  • We believed that we needed to attract outstanding talent in order to continue building.

    2012

    Hi, Talentum!

    We are Talentum

2013 / 2023

The technological tsunami

  • Technology begins to evolve at a frenetic pace and we pledge, first and foremost, to protect people.

    2013

    More innovation for Telefónica’s
    cybersecurity products.

  • 2013

    We create our own
    digital safety latch.

  • The data revolution begins, we discover its full potential and we learn how to exploit it.

    2015

    Creation of Chief Data Office

    2015

    Synergic Partners

    We reinforce our data centric expertise to transform our company.

  • 2015-2018

    Router Smart Wifi

    New smart routers to harness
    the full power of data.

  • 2016

    We reaffirm our commitment to Data Driven.

  • We streamline our authoring processes to ensure that all our technology speaks the same language.

    2017

    We create the Fourth Platform

    The pillar of Telefónica’s digital transformation for the development of digital services.

  • 2017

    Novum

    We transform Tuenti into Mi Movistar.

  • 2018

    We launch Internet para todos in Perú.

    FIND OUT MORE

  • We commit to the explosion of the world of smart devices and AI.

    2018

    Aura

    “Okay, Aura, start working”

  • We reinvent the way we live at home.

    2018

    Movistar Home

    Our first multifunctional device with a display.

  • 2018-2021

    Smart WiFi y Conexión Segura

    All the connectivity of home, more secure and more accessible.

  • 2019

    Living Apps

    New ways of shopping, learning, connecting and enjoying ourselves with our TV.

    DISCOVER THE LIVING APPS<br>ON MOVISTAR PLUS+

    DISCOVER THE LIVING APPS
    ON MOVISTAR PLUS+

  • We transform our core and expand our boundaries so as to continue projecting the future.

    2022

    We evolve the Fourth Platform
    and drive our digital heart with Artificial Intelligence.

    2021

    Tokens of Movistar

    We reinvent the way in which we build customer loyalty.

    TOKENS OF MOVISTAR

    TOKENS OF MOVISTAR

    2022

    Metaverse & Web3

    We create a new unit
    to anticipate our customers’ needs.

    EXPLORE

    EXPLORE
    TELECOMMUNICATIONS PARTNERSHIPS<br>IN THE METAVERSE

    TELECOMMUNICATIONS PARTNERSHIPS
    IN THE METAVERSE

  • 2023

    Hi, Telefónica Open Innovation!

    We unify all our open innovation
    initiatives under Wayra’s leadership.

  • We open up our heart, the network, to the entire world.

    2023

    Telefónica Open Gateway

    All our capabilities at the service
    of developers to drive a new
    generation of experiences.

    LEARN MORE

    LEARN MORE

    DISCOVERING OPEN GATEWAY,
    THE POWER OF THE NETWORK

Hi, Telefónica Innovación Digital!

Innovation is a path that leads to the future, and our aim is to invent it.

  • Hyperconnectivity

    We evolve the global connection of components to streamline collaboration, co-creation and learning.

  • Generation of AI-generated contents

    We help society to navigate and learn more about the new artificial media.

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    SEE ARTICLE

  • Advanced computing

    We reinforce data privacy, security against external attacks and ethical-legal responsibility.

  • Private Networks and Cloud-Continuum

    We launch ImagineB5G to make the network more accessible and secure with end-to-end programmability.

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    SEE ARTICLE

  • AI applied to cybersecurity

    We develop SPATIAL: a commitment to data privacy, security against external attacks and ethical-legal responsibility.

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    SEE ARTICLE

  • Immersive experiences

    The Metaverse offers new formats and consumer experiences with AR/VR, volumetric production and avatars.

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    SEE ARTICLE
home.people.header.honor.1.alt

“Technology is made by people”

Julio Linares

Honorary President of Telefónica Innovación Digital

home.people.header.honor.1.alt

“Useful and service-focused technology for our customers”

Enrique Blanco

Telefónica Global CTIO

Our entire history is written by our people.

The tireless dedication of our company’s professionals and their courage and passion for technology are the keys to the success of this journey.

Our mistakes and our learnings are proof that we’ve never stopped making things happen.

We continue thinking, we continue dreaming.