Texting of good tidings booms

Revellers spelt out a Happy New Year to telecommunications companies, sending a record 90 million text, picture and video messages in the lead up to 2008. The Australian Financial Review reports that Telstra predicted its networks carried 53 million new year messages, up 17% on last year. Optus estimated it would carry a record 33 million mobile text messages on Christmas Day alone.

The busiest hour for text messages on new years eve was the hour before midnight, when Telstra’s mobile network carried 50,000 text messages every minute. Telstra also estimated that thousands of video calls would have been made, and 335,000 picture messages sent via mobile phone or email.

And they are still phoning. Telstra predicted that its mobile customers would make 17 million voice calls to friends and family to wish them a happy new year.