textually.org: Australia's love affair with SMS

May 4, 2003

In a survey by Australian Ingenuity Research, reported in The Herald Sun, search findings show that:

-- 25 percent of children aged 6 to 13 own mobiles.

-- More than 33 percent of children aged 10 to 13 have their own phone.

-- More than 320 million text messages are sent each month, 10 times more than three years ago.

-- About a third of mobile services are pre-paid.

-- At least 80 per cent of Australia is out of mobile range, but 96 per cent of the population has coverage.

-- More than 20,000 complaints were made by users last year. Most were about billing, contracts, customer service, credit control and faults.

A survey by phone manufacturer Siemens found that many young people flirted via text messages.

-- Almost 10 per cent of respondents said they had broken up with a partner through SMS

-- 30 per cent said they used text messages to fight with their partner.

emily | 8:30 AM | Random Stats / Infographics |