UK sends 4,000 SMS every second

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 6 Nov 2007 at 09:36

The number of text messages sent each week in the UK has now risen to match the number sent in the whole of 1999. According to recent figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA), 4,000 SMS are now sent every second.

These figures represent a 25% rise on last year, and now an average of 1.2 billion messages are sent every week. During September, nearly 5 billion SMS were sent in the UK, from 69 million different handsets.

The startling figures have caused the MDA to revise its estimate for the number of SMS sent in 2007 from 48 billion to 52 billion.

It is thought that the increased number of unlimited text mobile tariffs is the main trigger of the increase, although SMS uptake amongst older mobile phone users is another important factor.

"The UK text volumes show no real signs of abating and the UK sits within the top six of the global league of countries sending text messages," says Mike Short, chairman of the Mobile Data Association. "While the trend towards operators offering 'all-you-can-eat' tariffs increases, this will act as a catalyst for consumer's passion for all things mobile."