Valentine’s Day saw 92 million text messages sent across the UK, an increase of 18% on the same period in 2003, according to figures released today by the Mobile Data Organisation (MDA).
These latest figures confirm findings from a recent survey by Virgin Mobile, revealing that over half of the UK’s mobile phone users, 57%, would consider sending a text message, rather than a Valentine’s card.
Commenting on the new data, Mike Short, chairman of the mobile data association said: “The impressive number of Valentine’s messages that have been sent indicates just how popular the technology has become for sharing an intimate thought with a loved one discretely, no matter how far apart they may be.”
He added: “Now WAP and picture messaging are presenting people with even more creative ways of communicating their feelings with loved ones and for secret admirers to send greetings as well.”
This data confirms that the UK is on track to enjoy the strong growth in text messaging predicted by the MDA for 2005, estimating an annual total of 30 billion for the year (see Record Mobile Usage Set To Continue Next Year).
The MDA revealed at the beginning of January that 2004 saw a record number of text messages sent, with mobile messaging hitting the 26 billion mark, breaking the previous yearly forecast of 25 billion (see 2004 Breaks Records For Text Messaging).
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