75pc of world uses a mobile phone

The global address book for mobile phones has reached six billion contacts, and experts say the number of mobile subscriptions will soon pass the world population.

According to a World Bank report, to be released today, 75 per cent of the world's population now has access to a mobile phone.

The report estimates that by 2015 there will be 7.5 billion people in the world and nearly nine billion mobile subscriptions.

The growth has been most rapid in developing countries. Mobile subscribers in developing countries made up 77 per cent of subscribers worldwide in 2010, up from 29 per cent in 2000.

As the population of mobile users becomes more diverse so do the ways in which they use their phones. The report found that over 30 billion apps for mobile phones were downloaded in 2011.

Text messaging has become the most popular form of communication between British adults, new figures show.

After years of increased use, the amount of time British adults spend speaking on a mobile phone has dropped for the first time.

But the average Briton now sends 200 text message a month, according to research released on Wednesday by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator.

More than half (58 per cent) of UK adults used text messages at least once a day to communicate with family and friends.

This was more than the 49 per cent for face-to-face contact, and 47 per cent for speaking on a mobile phone. Social networking was used by 33 per cent.

Despite the figures, 67 per cent of adults said they would prefer to meet in person.

But the trend looks set to continue, with text messaging used by 90 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds to communicate at least once a day with friends and family, followed by social networking (74 per cent), mobile phone calls (67 per cent) and face-to-face contact (63 per cent).

The time spent on a mobile phone was down for the first time, from 125 billion minutes in 2010 to 124 billion last year.

James Thickett, Ofcom’s director of research, said: “Over the past year there have been some major shifts in the way we communicate with each other.

“By far the most popular means of communication on a day-to-day basis is text messaging.”

He said: “Texting is seen as a traditional means of communication these days but it is still continuing to grow.

“Our research reveals that in just a few short years, new technology has fundamentally changed the way that we communicate.

“Talking face to face or on the phone are no longer the most common ways for us to interact with each other.”