The first national study of mobile phone users has found 97% of mobile phone users accessed SMS and over half used pictures, music and sounds on their mobile phone.

According to the Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index conducted by The Mobile Content Industry Development Group, of 2,400 consumers surveyed, text messaging was used by most people to communicate with close friends, friends and family.

However, over 50 per cent used it to communicate with work colleagues and over 20 per cent to communicate with business contacts. Females used SMS more than males. With regard to age, 19-25 year olds used SMS more than average and those over 36 years old used it less.

When it comes to the brand of mobile phone consumers’ desire, Nokia is still the dominant player in the market with 59 per cent of respondents currently owning one of its phones. This was followed by Sony Ericsson (10 per cent) and Motorola (10 per cent).

The study also highlighted that age and sex was an important factor in the brand of phone purchased. Females are more likely to opt for a Samsung whilst males prefer a Sony Ericsson. Younger consumers are also being drawn to the Samsung brand whilst people aged 36 years and over prefer Nokia.

According to one of the sponsers of the report the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, mobile phones are being used in a variety of ways. “The report has highlighted that consumers are no longer simply using mobiles to make phone calls,” said chief executive, John Butterworth. “Today they are being used as a more integrated communication device, with high usage of devices such as cameras, SMS and MMS.”