A nation of SMS addicts
2007-11-05 13:21
London - Britons now send more than one billion text messages a week - as many as were sent in the whole of 1999, figures out on Monday showed.
People in Britain sent 4 825 billion texts during September 2007, an increase of 25% on September last year, according to the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
That adds up to 4 000 text messages a second, or 70 per person each month.
The MDA, an industry group that promotes the use of cellphone data, put the rise in text message down to new deals from phone companies and the more personal nature of sending a text.
Meanwhile there has been a "significant increase" in businesses communicating with their customers via text, the MDA said.
The group revised its forecast for the total number of texts sent in 2007 from 48 billion to 52 billion following the sharp increase in September.
Last year, 41.8 billion texts were sent in Britain.
"The UK text volumes show no real signs of abating," said MDA chairperson Mike Short, adding that Britain is among the top six countries in the world for text messaging.
"While the trend towards operators offering 'all-you-can-eat' tariffs increases, this will act as a catalyst for consumers' passion for all things mobile."