Text Message Statistics
Company :: Text Message Statistics (updated 11/2008)
Text Messaging Background
SMS (Text Messaging) is a breakthrough communication medium as evidenced by growth year after year. As of June 2008, over 75 Billion text messages are sent every month compared to just 18 Billion in December 2006. That number has grown by 250% each year for the last two years. To validate the future growth within the channel, just two years ago, Verizon Wireless anticipated the number of text messages sent by their users on their network to grow nearly 5x from 400mm per month (in July 2005) to over 2 billion per month - and that is just over Verizon Wireless.
SMS is also the only universal mobile platform for the masses. It does not require special downloads as it is already available on over 98% of all cell phones.
US Mobile Content Market = 68.7 million text users
- 86% of the US owns a mobile phone
- 265mm mobile phones users
- 240+mm text enabled handsets
- 65mm text & web enabled phones
SMS growth in the United States
Every 6 months since the launch of the CSCA (June 2003) SMS traffic volumes have increased at least 37% in the U.S. It has quickly changed the way people communicate and access information. Currently over 75 Billion text messages are being sent each month and experts project it to grow to 100 billion a month by the end of 2008.
SMS Messages Sent Each Month
US Mobile 'Text Message' User
Median age of a Text Message user is 38 yrs old.
Median Age: 38 |
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Industry Watch
As of Q2 2008, a typical U.S. mobile subscriber sends or receives 357 text messages per month, compared to placing or receiving 204 phone calls. Though the number of calls has remained relatively steady, the number of text messages is up 450% from just two years prior. Q2 2008 was the second consecutive quarter in which the average number of text messages sent was significantly higher than the average number of phone calls placed.
Average Number of Monthly Calls vs. Text Messages Among U.S. Wireless Subscribers
| Calls | Texts | |
|---|---|---|
| Qtr 1, 2006 | 198 | 65 |
| Qtr 2, 2006 | 216 | 79 |
| Qtr 3, 2006 | 221 | 85 |
| Qtr 4, 2006 | 213 | 108 |
| Qtr 1, 2007 | 208 | 129 |
| Qtr 2, 2007 | 228 | 172 |
| Qtr 3, 2007 | 226 | 193 |
| Qtr 4, 2007 | 213 | 218 |
| Qtr 1, 2008 | 207 | 288 |
| Qtr 2, 2008 | 204 | 357 |
The insights come from Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, which directly measures billing activity through an opt-in panel of more than 50,000 personally liable, postpaid U.S. mobile lines across the top four carriers. Through the billing data, Nielsen reports on everything from how many text messages subscribers send to what games and ringtones they download.
For the latest Text Message Statistics, visit the CellSigns Mobile Marketing Blog.
