Telecoms and networks

Consumers sent a record number of texts (over 100 billion) in 2009 equivalent to 1700 for every person in the UK (compared to 1200 in 2008).

Data volumes over mobile networks increased by 240 per cent in 2009.

Over a quarter of people in the UK (26.5 per cent) said they have a smartphone, more than double the number two years ago.

Nearly a quarter of adults (23 per cent) accessed content or sent emails on their mobile phones. Among 15-24s this rises to 45 per cent.

UK consumers who have internet-enabled phones are also spending almost as much time surfing the net on their mobiles (1.3 hours per month) as they do texting (1.5 hours per month).

Facebook accounted for almost half (45 per cent) of total time spent online on mobiles in December 2009

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England has the highest level of fixed-line ownership (86 per cent) across the nations. Take-up is higher in rural areas than in urban areas (93 per cent vs 85 per cent).

England has fewer mobile-only households (13 per cent) than any of the other nations.

A 2G mobile signal is available to 99 per cent of people in England.

Higher-speed 3G mobile, which is available to 87 per cent of the UK population, covers 91 per cent of the English population.

Thirty-two per cent of mobile phone handsets in London, 31 per cent in the North East, and 30 per cent in Yorkshire and Humberside are 3G. The average in England and the UK is 26 per cent.

In London (24 per cent) and the South East (25 per cent) more people use VoIP to make internet voice calls than elsewhere in the UK. VoIP use is also high in the South West (21 per cent) and the East Midlands (19 per cent).

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Scotland has the lowest level of mobile phone ownership (85 per cent) in the UK.

But, along with Wales, it has the highest level of mobile-only households (19 per cent).

Scots are ranked lowest for accessing the internet with a mobile phone (9 per cent compared to a UK average of 16 per cent).

Some 96 per cent are satisfied with the overall service provided by their mobile supplier.

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Consumers in rural Wales are more likely to own a mobile phone (93 per cent) than their urban neighbours (87 per cent).

Some 19 per cent of homes in Wales are mobile-only, the highest proportion in the UK.

Eighty nine per cent of the population live in an area with 2G mobile coverage from one or more operator.

Some 69 per cent of the Welsh population live in an area with 3G mobile coverage from one or more operator.

Satisfaction with mobile reception is high - 90 per cent are satisfied with their reception.

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Almost one in five households (18 per cent) now relies on a mobile phone rather than a traditional fixed-line home phone.

Fixed-line ownership in Northern Ireland is down 6 per cent from last year.

Consumers in rural areas are also more likely to own a mobile phone than their urban neighbours (90 per cent compared to 87 per cent).

Since 2006 Northern Ireland has seen a 59 per cent increase in the proportion of households connected to an unbundled exchange - an exchange where another telecoms provider is able to provide its service over BT phone lines. This is the highest growth rate among the UK nations over this period.

2G mobile population coverage in Northern Ireland reached 89 per cent in 2010 (UK average 97 per cent).

But coverage for 3G was only 40 per cent, well below the UK average of 87 per cent and represented the lowest figure among the UK nations.

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Italy has the highest take-up of smartphones with 26 subscribers for every 100 people, followed by Spain (21) and the UK (18).

But the UK saw the highest growth in smartphone take-up in the past year with a 70 per cent rise in subscriber numbers between January 2009 and January 2010.

Germany has the highest landline take-up with 85 per cent of the population having a landline (84 per cent in the UK), while Italy has the highest mobile take-up with 95 per cent of the population owning a mobile phone (91 per cent in the UK).

The UK is second biggest text messaging nation in Europe after Ireland, with 140 messages per person per month (218 per person per month in Ireland).

People in the UK are using their mobile phones for social networking more than in other countries.

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