Telefónica España is creating a dedicated hardware division inside its residential B2C business. Alberto Ruano will lead it from 1 October 2026 after more than 25 years in technology management, including senior roles at Lenovo.
Telefónica España is giving its device business its own leadership for the first time. The company will launch a Hardware and Devices division inside its residential B2C operation on 1 October 2026. Alberto Ruano will run the new unit after leaving his role as Lenovo's director general for Spain and Portugal. Telefónica said in an official press release that the division would bring its full device and equipment portfolio under one leader.
The move puts smartphones and a much wider range of products under one executive structure. The division will report to Telefónica España Chief Revenue Officer Óscar Candiles and join his Management Committee. Its remit covers the whole device operation, not just one sales channel.
Telefónica España had already used bundling and cross-selling of devices with connectivity and other services. The new division formalises that approach as a dedicated management structure for the hardware business.
The unit will manage the portfolio, negotiate with manufacturers, design offers, handle sales and logistics, oversee procurement and the supply chain, and manage financial control. Telefónica is treating hardware as a business with its own commercial and day-to-day responsibilities.
The sales figures help explain the timing.
Movistar sold 900,000 devices in Spain between January and August 2026. That was 10% more than in the same period a year earlier. Growth is coming increasingly from products beyond smartphones. Other categories made up 42% of equipment sold, six percentage points more than a year ago.
Spanish business media have linked the expansion of the device offer not only to higher sales, but also to customer loyalty, or “fidelización”. The emphasis on categories beyond smartphones is part of that broader commercial strategy.
The biggest increases came in smartwatches, at 29%, and tablets, also at 29%. Household appliances rose 28%, while televisions increased 26%. Movistar now offers more than 800 references. The catalogue includes smartphones, tablets, consoles, smartwatches, and small and large household appliances. Telefónica's official statement also pointed to the growing share of equipment outside the smartphone category.
The wider catalogue is changing the operator's role in the home.
Telefónica España president Borja Ochoa said customers increasingly come to Movistar for more than a mobile phone. They may also be looking for a television, tablet, laptop, or smartwatch. The sales figures show that this shift is already visible in the product mix. It is not only a change in marketing language.
Movistar Swap has helped support the broader offer. Launched in September 2025, the service lets customers use a device for a monthly fee. After 24 or 36 months, they can exchange it for the latest model or keep the one they have. Movistar then collects the old equipment for refurbishment or recycling.
Telefónica says it wants devices to have the same level of importance as other businesses with their own identity inside the group, including home television and digital solutions for companies. The new structure gives hardware its own team and a separate growth plan.
Ochoa described Ruano as one of the executives with the deepest knowledge of the sector. Ruano has spent more than 25 years in technology management. He joined Toshiba España in 2000 as director of Professional Audio/Video Business. He later took senior management roles at Toshiba Visual Products and Toshiba España.
Ruano moved to Lenovo in 2013 as director of Business and Public Administration for Spain and Portugal. In 2016, he became the company's director general for both countries. He held that position until September 2026. During that period, Lenovo consolidated its position as the PC market leader in the Iberian Peninsula.
Ruano now takes charge of a business with direct access to millions of households and companies through Movistar's existing customer relationships. His stated task is to make that relationship a stronger route into technology by offering the right products and conditions when customers need them.
This is more than a personnel appointment. Telefónica España now has one structure for a catalogue that reaches well beyond mobile phones. The unit also connects product selection with supply, distribution, and profitability.
Movistar sold 900,000 devices in the first eight months of 2026, while non-smartphone categories took a larger share of sales. Those figures give Telefónica enough commercial evidence to make hardware a standalone pillar rather than a side offer.
Ruano's arrival shows where the company is heading. Telefónica is no longer treating devices as an accessory to connectivity. It is giving the business its own strategy and accountability. El País and Cinco Días have also reported the shift toward a broader device operation and stronger customer retention through hardware.
