9 December 2005
The average Briton spends four years of their working life on the phone, according to figures from communications firm Toucan.
Home phones, as well as mobiles, are still enjoying widespread use – particularly by women, who spend an average of 4.75 years on the phone, which is a year and a half more than men manage.
On average, a British citizen makes 283,126 calls during their working years, with women making as many as 288,000. 155,928 will be personal, with the remaining number work-related.
Personal calls last an average of ten minutes, with work calls going on for a snappier 4.8 minutes.
Joseph Blass, Toucan's managing director, said: "As a nation, we love to chat on the phone but it is quite startling when you look at the total number of calls we make in a lifetime.
"Mobiles have certainly changed phone usage and it is much easier to keep in contact these days. But it is interesting to see how the landline is still the preferred means of communication."
Mr Blass's latter comment is good news for the home phone industry – despite the boom in mobile phones, we still make over 80,000 more calls using landlines than on their newer counterparts.
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© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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