By Stevie Smith Nov 6, 2007, 13:31 GMT
As the trend to actually use mobile phones for everything other than ‘talking’ seems to be expanding through the incorporation of more and more attractive and appealing functions, it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that Brits are sending more text-based messages than ever before.
epa01155030 According to new UK figures, British mobile phone users are sending roughly 1 billion text messages every week, which is the same as the entire year's total in 1999. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
Specifically, figures released by the Mobile Data Association (MDA) outline that mobile phone users in the United Kingdom are sending in excess of 1 billion text messages each year, which is an increase of around 25 percent when measured against 2006’s figures.
Interestingly, to further illustrate the increasing lack of actual telephony usage associated with mobile handsets, the current weekly total of 1 billion text messages is roughly the same as the amount sent for the entire year in 1999.
According to a related BBC News report, text message figures attributed to September of this year showed that approximately 4.8 billion texts were dispatched, which equates to some 4,000 messages every second.
A spokesman for the Mobile Data Association has indicated that 2007’s total text message use is presently heading towards the 52 billion mark, before adding that the figure far surpasses the MDA’s initial yearly prediction of around 42-48 billion.
With regard to the causes of the ever-growing proliferation of text messages, the spokesman offered that, as a form of communication, it is "convenient, comprehensive, it’s on every handset and network and it is cost effective."
The applicable usage of text messages has bled from strictly personal communication habits into the business world, with companies dispatching memo messages to employees or customers, or handset users being able to receive periodic text information regarding various services, topics of interest, favourite sporting teams, etc,.
MDA says that the United Kingdom is placed within the top six of the global league of countries when it comes to sending texts, and with carriers entering a trend of offering limitless tariffs, the dispatch volume is showing no signs of slowing down.
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