1.4bn Text Messages Sent Each Week In The UK

Picture and video messaging (MMS) is showing excellent and sustained growth, said the MDA, with volumes rising steadily supported by some interesting seasonal peaks. Ten million picture messages are sent every week in the UK and year-on-year growth is at 30%.

The outlook for mobile data usage remains very positive. The moves by mobile operators to offer all inclusive tariffs will stimulate further growth and with predicted lower roaming charges, this will also drive usage. The MDA expects to see SMS growth of around 30% in 2008.

The MDA also predicts that mobile internet will become a true rival for traditional desktop internet access, with growth of around 20% being seen in 2009.

Assessing the findings of the MDA’s Q2 report, Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, said: “The access and sharing of snippets of information while on the move has become part of working and personal lives.

“It started with voice, then expanded to text – which as MDA figures have consistently demonstrated has grown astronomically over time – and now most recently has grown into richer messaging media and mobile access to the internet. While these are still in their early stages, with some aspects of the technology still evolving, adoption looks set to follow similar paths to other communication and media formats.”

A recent global report from Informa Telecoms & Media forecast that revenues from mobile data services are set to exceed US$200 billion this year for the first time (see Mobile Data Service Revenues Set To Rise).

A report published by comScore M:Metrics found that iPhone users surpass all others in mobile media usage, with more than 80% of iPhone users in France, Germany and the UK using the device to browse news and information on the mobile web (see iPhone Users Top Mobile Media Usage).