Pre-pay deal demand sends O2 numbers soaring

Mobile phone group mmO2 today beat expectations for new users over Christmas following a surge in demand for pre-pay deals.

The England-based group said 94% of the 360,000 new subscribers added in the UK during the final three months of 2004 had opted for top-ups over annual contracts. O2 Ireland added 91,000 customers, taking the total base to 1.5 million