Mobile users not so merry with their Christmas texts this year

Christmas greetings via text message are less popular this year, figures suggest.

O2, the number two mobile phone operator after Vodafone, recorded 20.6m messages across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, down from 28m last year.

According to Eircom, which has about 20% of the mobile market, eMobile and Meteor customers sent more than 8m texts over the two days. Eircom could offer no comparison for last year.