• 2004 drew to a close on a real high note for text messaging as the UK total figure for December reached 2.4 billion, delivering the highest monthly total ever recorded, according to figures released today by the Mobile Data Association (MDA).

• Person-to-person texts sent across the UK GSM network operators last month show an increase of 26% on the total sent during the same period in 2003, with 78 million messages being sent per day, the highest average daily figure ever recorded.

• Prior to December 2004, the highest ever total of text messages recorded were 2.3 billion in October 2004

• December's text messaging figure takes the annual total for 2004 beyond the predicted 25 billion messages forecast at the beginning of the year by the Mobile Data Association, setting a new record of 26.135 billion.

• Chairman of the MDA Mike Short estimated that around the world about 750 billion text messages were sent in 2004.

Business Fast Facts
· 65% of people send business text messages from their mobile phone on a daily basis

· 50% of people receive business text messages from a member of their team/ department/ office

· 47% of people receive business text messages from a colleague

· 36% receive business text messages from a customer or client

· 71% of people use business texts for setting 'reminders of meetings and appointments'

· 18% of people used business texts for 'notifying people about new meetings and appointments'

· 14% of people use business text for 'chasing up suppliers or new orders'

· A third of respondents (36%) said that they receive text messages from a customer or client

· 11% of people receive text messages from suppliers.