Optus ready for big jump in Xmas mobile texts, calls

Peter Dinham
Thursday, 22 December 2011 14:43

IT Industry - Market

Optus is expecting calls and messaging across its mobile network to go gangbusters right through the Christmas and New Year period, with we Aussies expected to pass on cheer and goodwill by making over 34 million calls and sending more than 65 million SMSs on the Optus network on Christmas Day alone.

And, Optus is ready for the explosion in holiday season traffic on its network. The company recently carried out capacity upgrades in holiday hotspots such as Airlie Beach, Ballina, Byron Bay, Cairns, Hervey Bay, Philip Island, Port Douglas, Port Stephens, Surfers Paradise and Victor Harbour, amongst many others. And, in the first half of the year, it built over 450 new 3G mobile base stations to enhance coverage across the network.

According to new research by Optus, more than one in three - or 36 per cent - of us, particularly younger Australians, will be wishing our friends and family a Merry Christmas via social media this year, with one in two Gen Ys, or 50 percent surveyed, expecting to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to send their Christmas greetings.

However, while the younger generation will be very active on their social media network, the majority of older Australians, or the baby boomers (75 per cent), still prefer to pick up the phone for a chat this Christmas.

Optus expects its customers to make more than 32 million local and national calls on their home phone on Christmas day, and for its customers on Christmas Day contacting family, relatives or friends overseas, Optus expects they will collectively spend more than 4.5 million minutes on their phones on Christmas Day. The three most popular overseas destinations for calls this year are expected to be the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Vietnam.

Optus says that the survey also showed Aussies who own smartphones are much more likely to send Christmas greetings via social media - 42 per cent - compared to those who don't, at 27 per cent.

Clare Gill, general manager, government and corporate affairs at Optus said, 'social media has become truly ubiquitous amongst Australians. We spend more time visiting social networks and blogs compared to anywhere else in the world, and this Christmas a lot of us will be sending our season's greetings via social media, too.'

'Whether they're posting on Facebook or calling to say Merry Christmas, our customers can be confident that we have been working hard throughout the year to ensure our network is capable of providing optimum coverage, with upgrades to many popular holiday destinations around Australia in preparation for the holiday season,' Gill said.