Instant messaging overtakes SMS

Instant messaging seems to have replaced texting as the way to communicate with family and friends, as for the first time the number of text messages sent has fallen in the UK.

According to Deloitte's latest technology predictions report, an estimated 145 billion SMS messages were sent in 2013 in the UK, a figure that was 7 billion less than in 2012.

Over the same period 160 billion instant messages were sent, a sharp increase from 57 billion. According to the firm's projections, the number of instant messages this year would number a staggering 300 billion.

Gareth Beavis from TechRadar told Sky News that instant instant messaging had been on the rise for a long time. It was much easier to use, and there were also there are so many more things one could do with it.

However, the report said while instant messaging services - such as WhatsApp and Snapchat might win the battle for volume, text messaging would be victorious in revenue terms.

Text messages would be expected to generate over £60 billion in 2014, equivalent to approximately 50 times the total revenues from all instant messaging services.

Meanwhile, the idea that the UK had hit "Peak Text" came after the report, which according to commentators was a big news considering the humble text's dramatic impact on everyday life.

The Guardian said it transformed the English language, turned reality show voting into a national event and earned billions for mobile operators.

According to The Daily Mail, the growing affordability of smartphones was driving the uptake of IM apps. Cheaper handsets meant even people who would keep away from the new technology – pensioners, for example – were snapping them up.

However, while texts may have passed their prime, they would continue to be a viable business. The Mail said, SMS was worth about £60 billion, because texts "still work in any country, on any network, on any handset".

The Independent, which offered its own text salute said "for many of us it will feel like the end of an era". However the newspaper points out that it was too early to write off the text for good.

The paper said unless a single instant messaging app established dominance, the market place for these apps were likely to continue to swing back and forth depending on what younger users favour.