The UK text messaging total broke through the 4bn barrier for the first time in December, says the Mobile Data Association. December’s total of 4.3bn texts takes the overall figure for 2006 to 41.8bn and gives a daily average for the year of 114m texts. Christmas Day totalled 205m messages, around 8m per hour; New Year’s Day 2007 was even higher, reaching a record breaking 214m.