UK sent record 2.9 Billion SMS last month

[Fire14]

Record Numbers of SMS's Sent in the UK

The UK's Mobile Data Association (MDA) has reports that a new record has been set in the UK, with a staggering 2.9 billion SMS's being sent during last month and an average of 93.5 million text messages sent per day. Person-to-person texts sent across the UK GSM network operators last month show an increase of 25.7% on the total sent during the same period in 2004. The MDA's annual forecast for 2005 is 32 billion with a cumulative total to date of 29 billion.

As the pre-Christmas rush gathers pace, retailers are certainly making the most of SMS to communicate with customers:

The clothing retailer, Topshop has launched style advice accessed by mobile phone as an extension to its existing in-store style advice service. The mobile technology developed by Skywire enables those with a passion for fashion to book appointments with advisers, receive advice, reserve items and receive picture messages of recommended additions for the wardrobe.

Using SMS and direct mail, Interflora's pre Christmas campaign will include an advent calendar to remind customers that flowers can be ordered right up until 11.00 am on Christmas Eve, an ideal way of ensuring those last minute gifts don't get forgotten and that they will be at their best when on display over the Holiday Season.

Finally, just in case you're stuck for Christmas ideas for the kids this year, its official, a third of UK children just love the Jamster Crazy Frog ads, according to youth research specialists Carrick James Market Research. The agency surveyed 570 youngsters aged between 7 and 14 years old to discover that 33% of them voted the Crazy Frog ring tone spot, their number 1

[Andy]

Crazy, crazy, but I bet that minutes of Use(MOU) are also increasing in Europe, as they are slowly making using your cellular phone a little more affordable.

[ShoresGuy]

That's incredible....Germany has also seen tremendous growth in SMS this year since new MVNOs are being established every month. There's a price war going on between the different MVNOs:

http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/germania.html

I'll see if I can find some SMS statistics for Germany.