Ofcom says Irish the heaviest users of mobile phones

By Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) - Residents in the Republic of Ireland spent the most time on their mobile phones and sent the most text messages per head in the world in 2007, according to a report which examines changes in the communications industry.

Known for their 'gift of the gab' or talent for speaking, the Irish lead the way in the use of mobile phones, spending around 179 minutes per month on average on their mobiles.

The Irish love of the 'craic' or general banter has also spread to texting with mobile phone users in Ireland sending an average of 154 text messages a month, nearly double the figure in Britain of 81.

The International Communications Market report by the British regulator Ofcom said mobile phones were becoming more crucial to people, especially in emerging markets where growth is very strong.

Some 216 million new mobile subscriptions were registered in Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2007, with China alone adding more new connections at 88 million than the total number of subscriptions in Britain.

Take up in Russia increased nearly 1,000 percent.

On the Internet, the report said people in all the countries surveyed were spending more time online in 2007, with the United States leading the way at just over 15 hours per week, with Britain second at nearly 14 hours per week.

The U.S. and Britain were also leading the trend of watching TV online, while Canadians remained in the vanguard of social networking, with 55 percent of Internet users visiting a social networking site.