Text message use declining in some countries

Everywhere you go in most parts of the US, you will run across hoards of people that are texting no matter where they are. According to an analyst from M.I.G. Research, Tero Kuittinen, the number of text messages being sent is actually in decline on some parts of the world. Kuittinen cites Finnish Mobile network Sonera and the number of text messages sent on Christmas Eve as proof.

According to the analyst there were 8.5 million text messages sent on Christmas Eve 2011, which is down to the tune of millions compared to the number of texts sent out on Christmas Eve 2010 when 10.9 million texts were sent. Another Finnish carrier called DNA also notes a significant decline as well with a loss of about 300,000 texts on Christmas Eve.

Texts also went down on Christmas Day in Hong Kong with a decline of nearly 14% from the previous year on the same day. Australia saw a decline in texting of about 9% according to one blogger. The reason for the decline in texting is thought to be alternatives like Facebook and twitter. The US is still seeing the number of text users grow for now, but the same decline is expected to hit the US carriers like Verizon and AT&T in the next two years.

[via NYT]