Telstra customers put mobile pedal to the metal!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 13 August 2010 12:19

Your IT - Mobility

Australians are putting pedal to the metal when it comes to using their mobile phones for voice calls, text messaging and mobile broadband on the Telstra network, but while the news is welcome, it's hardly surprising!

The explosive growth in smartphones and the enduring popularity of mobile telephony in general is being reconfirmed by some new 'record' figures from Telstra following its full year results.

Perhaps seeking some media deflection away from some losses in the fixed telephony market that saw Telstra's share price fall yesterday and continuing to do so today, Telstra has decided to share and highlight the figures by issuing a media release with trends and a 'snapshot of how Australians are using their mobiles to connect with one another.'

For the 2009-2010 period, Telstra reports that, 'despite the rise of new communication technologies like social networking on mobiles', it is seeing that 'text messaging continues to grow strongly.'

How strongly? Well, in 2009-2010, 'Telstra customers sent 9.39 billion text messages', which it says is 'more than 3 times the volume sent by Telstra customers just 5 years ago.'

Another way to look at this stat is that 'Telstra customers, on average, sent around 25.7 million text messages every day over the past year'. That's more messages each day than the population of Australia!

Naturally, it isn't just thumbs getting all the action, but vocal cords too. Telstra says that, on its network, 'mobile voice minutes were up 4.7 per cent with Telstra customers making 11.5 billion minutes worth of calls in 2009/10.'

Mobile broadband, or 'wireless', is also experiencing massive growth, something that's hardly a surprise with so many net connected gadgets available. Clearly, people are not only 'thinking about the gadgets' and thinking about getting them online, but are doing so enthusiastically!

Telstra says that: 'Australians continue to adopt mobile broadband in record numbers with 1.65 million Telstra customers now using mobile broadband devices to work where they want, update Facebook at Uni and to stay connected when commuting. The popularity of connected devices like the Apple iPad is broadening mobile broadband's appeal even further.'

Unsurprisingly, it's also the era of the smartphone with clear acceleration of use and adoption. Telstra says that 'the launch of web-friendly mobiles like the HTC Desire has propelled the adoption of smartphones and there are now more than 1.6 million smartphones connected on Telstra's network.'

Some specific figures and a double dare for Telstra CEO David Thodey on page two, please read on!