More mobiles than people in Britain today

There are now more mobile phones than people in the UK, according to research released by first direct. The country’s 45 million adults share almost 70 million mobile SIM cards (phone numbers) and over 71 million handsets - an average of 1.6 mobiles per adult in the UK today.

Research by the bank that pioneered mobile phone banking found that only 12% of adults have no mobile phone. Almost half make do with just one mobile phone, but 40% of us now have more than one number. An extraordinary one in ten (9%) have more than four mobile numbers and handsets.

Gadget-loving men are more likely to posses multiple numbers than their female counterparts, first direct found. Almost 10 million UK men (43%) claimed that they have more than one number, compared to eight million women.

Marital status is also likely to be a factor. Half of married and cohabiting people (47%) have two or more phones, while only 35% of singletons feel the need for more than one way to stay in touch while out and about.

Alison Leonard, first direct’s head of e-commerce, said: “The mobile phone has become the remote control for our lives. We use our mobiles to keep in touch with friends, family and workmates. But the days when we kept just one handset are fast fading, as many of us have different phones for different purposes. With one phone for work, one for friends and potentially a personal organiser or BlackBerry as well, mobilemania has swept the nation.

“We at first direct saw the huge potential of the mobile phone back in 1999 when we launched text message banking. We now send over 40 million texts a year to keep customers up to date with their money. We plan further innovations as the mobile develops: for example, last year we became the first bank to offer ‘on demand’ mobile phone banking through the MONILINK service.”

first direct found that people’s work has an influence on the number of phones they are likely to carry. Part time workers are the most likely to have four or more different numbers, the research found - more than likely so that they can either switch off from work when they are not there, or so that they are always in contact “just in case”.

However, despite the overwhelming use of mobile phones, there are certain calls that people would prefer to make from a landline. Twenty eight million Brits still prefer to speak to family and friends from a conventional telephone and in this respect, women are more traditional than men, with 75% of them choosing to do this if they have the option.

Younger people are most comfortable with mobile phone use, regardless of the situation. Almost half (49%) of young people would prefer to speak to friends on a mobile, compared to just 45% who prefer to use a landline. This is a strong indication that those who have had mobile phones from a young age are increasingly viewing the conventional telephone as obsolete, suggesting that the need for mobile phone services is likely to increase in future.

first direct customers enjoy regular text statements and can also arrange special alerts – for example, to warn when they’re close to going over their overdraft limit. Last year first direct went a step further by becoming the first bank to offer next generation mobile phone banking through MONILINK, a new UK service developed by the UK’s cash machine network, LINK and its joint venture partner Monitise. MONILINK offers ‘on demand’, 24 hour access to banking services including mini-statements and balance enquiries through a mobile handset.