Amazing Telephony Facts and Statistics presented in an Infographic.

Plain text version with reference links.

It’s incredible to think that the telephone was first invented over 150 years ago. Telephony as we know it has continuously evolved during this time – especially in the last 20 years where we have seen the introduction of Smartphones and VoIP technology that will eventually replace traditional analogue telephone land lines in the UK by 2025.

To celebrate the invention of the telephone, we’ve searched the internet to find some amazing telephony facts and statistics that are presented in this Infographic.

1849.

The year that Italian Antonio Meucci was credited with inventing the first basic phone. Frenchman Charles Bourseul also devised a “make or break” phone in 1854. (1).

March 10, 1876.

The date that Alexander Graham Bell made the very first telephone call with his assistant Thomas Watson, just a few days after he received a U.S patent for the device. (2) Over the next five years, the first phone line was constructed, the first exchange and switchboard was created and over 40,000 telephones were in operation!

3.5 Billion.

The number of mobile users Worldwide, as of June 2020. This accounts for over 45% of the world’s population (3).

The number of Smartphones shipped worldwide in 2019. (4).

1. “Other” brands – 403.6 million
2. Samsung – 295.7 million
3. Huawei – 240.6 million
4. Apple – 191 million
5. Xiaomi – 125.6 million
6. OPPO – 114.3 million

65 Billion.

The number of Whatsapp messages sent worldwide per day by 1.5 billion worldwide users. (5).

50.

The total numbers listed in the very first telephone directory in New Haven, Connecticut. The directory was published on February 21, 1878 and contained 11 home numbers, 38 Business numbers and the local Police department! (6)

11,000.

The approximate number of Red telephone boxes remaining in the UK (7).

79%.

The approximate number of UK adults that own a Smartphone (8).

12 minutes.

A survey by Ofcom in 2018 showed that the average Briton checks their mobile phone every 12 minutes. Many of us would admit to checking their phones more often than this! (9).

$194.5 Billion.

The estimated global value of the VoIP services market by 2024. (10)

1935.

The year that Willy Muller invented the first automatic answering machine. (11)

1995.

The year that American Company VocalTec released the world’s first VoIP phone application software. Fun fact: The product was originally called Internet Phone, but many people called it iPhone. That name will never catch on! (12)

1.3 Billion.

The number of UK Land line phone numbers in the UK. 400 million of these are currently allocated telecoms operators. The same article states that landline usage has dropped by 50% in the last 5 years as more of us are using our Smartphones. (13)

97%.

The number of adults in Vietnam that say they own a mobile phone. This is closely followed by 94% of adults in Jordan and 91% of adults in Tunisia. (14)

72.6%.

The percentage of Internet users that are expected to access the web solely from their smartphones by 2025. (15)

Reference links.

1. https://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/150/1870.xhtml
2. https://theconversation.com/rise-and-fall-of-the-landline-143-years-of-telephones-becoming-more-accessible-and-smart-113295
3. https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world
4. https://www.statista.com/statistics/271539/worldwide-shipments-of-leading-smartphone-vendors-since-2007/
5. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/whatsapp-statistics/
6. https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2010/02/book-numbers/
7. http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/
8. https://www.finder.com/uk/mobile-internet-statistics
9. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2018/decade-of-digitaldependency#:~:text=People%20in%20the%20UK%20now,of%20those%20aged%20under%2035.
10. https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/voip-services-market.asp
11. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-answering-machines-1991223
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VocalTec#:~:text=VocalTec%20released%20the%20first%20ever,co%2Dfounders%20of%20VocalTec%20Ltd.
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VocalTec#:~:text=VocalTec%20released%20the%20first%20ever,co%2Dfounders%20of%20VocalTec%20Ltd.
14. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/03/07/use-of-smartphones-and-social-media-is-common-across-most-emerging-economies/
15. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/smartphones-72percent-of-people-will-use-only-mobile-for-internet-by-2025.html