For Immediate Release : Thursday 26 October 06
Conditions Of Use : MDA to be credited as source.
For a copy of the chart please e-mail: kate@themda.org
SMASHING SEPTEMBER FOR TEXT MESSAGES
| The total number of text messages sent during September soared to over 3.7 billion, yet again breaking all previous records. |
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This is an increase of 100 million on the previous highest total recorded in August, according to figures released today by the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
This figure represents an average of 123 million messages being sent per day throughout last month, an increase of 30% on September 2005. As the third quarter of 2006 drew to a close, the total of messages sent so far this year has reached an incredible 29 billion, getting closer to the MDA’s prediction that 40 billion messages will have been sent by the end of December.
As the British public has grown more au-fait with all things mobile, there is an ever-increasing array of messaging services which are now available – for a list of some of the most popular, visit:
http://www.text.it/text/messaging_info.cfm
For the past seven years the MDA’s messaging website, Text.it (www.text.it), has witnessed text messaging grow from a popular craze to becoming second nature as an essential communication tool for mobile phone users. The full statistics of this text message explosion and monthly figure releases can be found at:
http://www.text.it/mediacentre/press_release_list.cfm. |
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Notes to Editors
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- The highest ever monthly total for text messages was 3.5 billion in July 2006.
- 6th December 2005, the Mobile Data Association (MDA) forecast that text messaging figures would rise to deliver an annual total of 36.5 billion text messages for 2006. This estimate was revised in August 2006 to 40 billion.
- May 2006 marked the launch of Phase 7 of the MDA’s generic awareness campaign to promote the advantages of text messaging across all networks, and provide a current information service through the text.it website for both consumers and business users. The consumer campaign targets both users and non-SMS users. The corporate programme focuses on business end-users and incorporates a web-based information service.
- The Mobile Data Association (MDA) was established in 1994 to increase awareness of mobile data amongst users and their advisers. The MDA acts as a focal point for its members, (vendors and users) and outside parties interested in knowing more about the industry
- The MDA announces the total number of chargeable person-to-person text messages sent on behalf of the UK GSM Network operators. These figures are announced in the third week of the following month. For further information visit the MDA website at www.themda.org or the Text It Campaign web site at www.text.it
Mike Short, MDA Chairman is available for comment. |
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For further information or to arrange an interview
please contact Kate Marriott at the MDA Messaging Campaign Office
Tel: 01922 419600
email: kate@themda.org www.themda.org www.text.it |
For immediate release
For immediate release 21st November 2006
Condition of use: MDA to be credited as source.
Q3 2006 – MOBILE INTERNET FIGURES CONTINUE TO GROW
The number of mobile phone users accessing the internet on their handsets is rising. According to figures announced today by the Mobile Data Association (MDA), a total of 40.7 million users were recorded as having used their phones for downloads and browsing the mobile internet in the UK during the third quarter of 2006. The total number of users recorded in July was 13 million, which had increased to 14 million by September.
According to research from Nielsen/NetRatings, a WAP-enabled mobile phone is the second most popular digital device owned by Britons, after the PC, with 57% of the survey owning a phone that could access the internet. (source: BBC.co.uk)
Increasingly tech-savvy, mobile users expect their phones to give them more features, flexibility and the handiness of the desktop on the move. Key features such as mobile e-mail and mobile web are becoming more popular as they become easier to use, with improved download speeds and connectivity. And it’s not just ringtones and games downloads that the mobile internet is being accessed for, historically a major driver of WAP usage –as the MDA recently reported, Google topped the list of sites most accessed via mobiles, followed closely by chat sites.
For information on how to set up your phone to use the mobile internet, please visit http://www.text.it/mobileweb/tips.cfm . And if you’re looking for a list of useful and entertaining sites to view on your handset, have a look at: http://www.text.it/mobileweb/topsites.cfm
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Notes to Editors
- WAP user definition as agreed by four GSM Network operators (O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange) is as follows:
the number of unique customers who are accessing the internet on a mobile device via any portal at least once in the reporting month.
- The MDA plans to issue mobile internet user figures on a quarterly basis, having previously issued figures relating to the number of WAP page impressions viewed. The method for counting has been revised to give a clearer picture of how many people are accessing the service each month.
- Top 10 site information not weighted by usage – aggregate information taken from UK network operators.
- Figures exclude mobile intranet for business usage (eg mobile e-mail)
About the Mobile Data Association
- November 2005 marked the launch of Phase 3 of the MDA’s generic awareness campaign to promote the advantages of the mobile internet across all networks, and provide a current information service through the text.it website for both consumers and business users.
- The Mobile Data Association (MDA) was established in 1994 to increase awareness of mobile data amongst users and their advisers. The MDA acts as a focal point for its members, (vendors and users) and outside parties interested in knowing more about the industry
- The MDA announces the total number of Mobile Internet users on behalf of the UK GSM Network operators on a monthly basis. These figures are announced during the fourth week of the following month. Also UK text messaging figures are released by the MDA during the third week of the following month.
- For further information visit the MDA website at www.themda.org or the Text It Campaign web site at www.text.it
Mike Short, MDA Chairman, is available for comment.
For further information or to arrange an interview
please contact Kate Marriott at the MDA Messaging Campaign Office
Tel: 01922 419600
email: kate@themda.org
www.themda.org www.text.it |
