New record in SMS greetings during Christmas and New Year’s

On New Year´s Eve and New Year´s Day Telia´s customers in Sweden set a new record with a total of more than 11 million sent SMS messages. New Year´s Eve was the day with the highest SMS traffic with a total of 6.7 million sent SMS messages – an increase of 34 per cent, compared with 2004. However, Christmas Eve was close on heels, with Telia mobile users sending 6.2 million SMS messages that evening. Sending greetings by SMS has become more and more popular as a way to wish family and friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. “During Christmas and New Year´s, our customers set a new record for the number of sent SMS messages. We are seeing how a growing number of people, regardless of their age, are discovering that the SMS service is an easy and effective way of keeping in touch with family, friends and acquaintances,” says Kent Jonsson, head of mobile services at TeliaSonera Sweden. Number of SMS messages sent by Telia´s customers in Sweden million SMS messages 2005 2004 2003 Christmas Eve 6.2 5.5 5.2 New Year’s Eve 6.7 5 3.3