An average of 50 million text messages were sent each day during October taking the monthly total to an all time high of 1.54 billion, according to the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
The daily average for October, which is substantially higher than the 21 million daily texts sent each day in October 2000, brings the annual total for text messaging to over 13 billion, against a 12 month MDA forecast of 16 billion for 2002.
Commenting on the fact that text messaging will celebrate its tenth birthday next month, Mike Short, chairman of the MDA, said: “Text messaging has come a long way since 1992. It has become more than just a messaging service, with innovations such as text and win competitions, text voting, text poetry, new text languages, business text and mobile marketing campaigns.”
It is thought that October’s text messaging totals were increased by SMS voting for ITV’s Pop Stars: The Rivals. It is expected November’s total will be further boosted as the show reaches its final, along with the BBC’s Fame Academy and the new series of Celebrity Big Brother, which will give viewers a range of reasons to text.
