• Coinciding with the 50^th anniversary of the first ever mobile phone call, Three UK reveals new data showing the nation’s changing phone habits
• The appeal of the old-fashioned phone call remains strong with 4 in 5 making them every week and Three’s customers calling each other 25% more than they did a decade ago
• But polling unveiled a generational split, as young people are more likely to turn to voice notes and group chats, as over half are nervous about calls to people they don’t know and nearly half reject calls or let them go to voicemail, preferring to text

To mark 50 years since the first mobile phone call was made by Motorola executive Martin Cooper*, Three UK reveals what the nation’s phone habits look like half a century on.

The appeal of the old-fashioned phone call lives on, as Three’s data reveals that customers now call each other 25% more than they did 10 years ago. In a survey commissioned by the mobile network, four in five people said they make or receive phone calls at least once a week.

However, the data also shows a growing generational divide, as young people have admitted to being apprehensive about making phone calls.

• Video calls, with three in five 16-24-year-olds (60%) saying they use video calls to connect with friends and family at least once a week, twice as many as those aged 55+ (29%)
• Voice notes which have become popular with nearly two-thirds (58%) of 16-24-year-olds using them at least once a week, compared with only one in ten (12%) of those aged 55+
• Group chats, with seven in 10 (73%) of Gen Z saying they are in one or more that’s active every single day, compared with two in five (41%) among the 55+ group

David Hennessy, Chief Technology Officer at Three, commented:

“Today marks a milestone for the mobile phone industry globally. As we look back to 1973, it’s remarkable to see how far technology has come, and how our habits have changed as phone users. At Three UK, we’re proud to have played a role in some of these developments.

“Whether it’s phone calls, video calls, voice notes or group chats, we will continue striving to provide better connectivity every day for our 10 million customers. We’re excited to see what the future holds for mobile phones in the next half century!”