81.6 Million Mobile Subscriptions
Mobile telecommunications are vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness and in promoting social inclusion. There are now over 81.6 million mobile subscriptions in the UK. Over 5.1 million people now access mobile broadband services via a laptop and dongle, and 39 per cent of UK adults use their mobile phone for internet access. Tablet ownership rose to 11% of UK households. Operators are working with Ofcom to extend the benefits of mobile communications as widely as possible. 99.7% of UK premises (homes and businesses) had outdoor 2G coverage from at least one operator; 3G coverage is lower at 99.1%.
150 Billion Texts
Consumers sent over 150 billion texts in 2011, the average UK consumer sends 50 texts a week. The average time spent using mobile data services was 2.1 hours a month in 2011, 25 minutes per month more than in 2010, while the volume of data consumed more than doubled in the 18 months to January 2012. At the end of 2011 15% of adults live in a home that has a mobile phone but no landline.