telefônicas

Telefónicas is the feminine plural form used in Spanish to refer to entities related to telephone telecommunications. As a plural noun, "las telefónicas" commonly denotes the companies that provide telephone and related communications services, including fixed and mobile telephony, internet access, and data transmission. The term is used in various Spanish-speaking countries, sometimes interchangeably with "operadoras" or "compañías de telecomunicaciones."

Historically, many countries maintained state-controlled telephony monopolies known as telefónicas or empresas telefónicas. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, liberalization and privatization expanded competition and led to the creation and growth of private operators. Today the sector offers a range of services such as voice calls, broadband, mobile telephony, and convergent bundles, delivered over wired and wireless networks, including fiber, copper, and mobile broadband (3G/4G/5G).

One of the most prominent examples is Telefónica, S.A., a Spanish multinational that operates in Europe and Latin America and markets services under brands such as Movistar and Vivo in specific markets. The term "telefónicas" can thus refer both to the general group of telephone operators and to the specific company group depending on context.