58 per cent send an SMS a day, compared with 47 making a voice call.
UK phone regulator Ofcom revealed the findings in its annual communications market report, adding that the average UK consumer now sends 50 texts per week.
And their rate of voice calls have fallen for the first time since mobile came on the scene. The volume of mobile calls fell by one per cent in 2011, while landline calls were down by ten per cent.
Elsewhere there is yet more evidence of the growing ubiquity of the smartphone, and more illustrations of its cultural impact.
Ofcom says 39 per cent of UK adults now own a smartphone - up 12 per cent in two years. It also found that over half of smartphone users claim to use their phone in some way when out shopping.
This activity includes: taking photos of products (31 per cent); making online price comparisons (25 per cent); scanning bar codes (21 per cent); reading product reviews (19 per cent); and researching product features (19 per cent).
Other stats include:
* 11 per cent own a tablet (two per cent in 2011)
* 42 per cent of smartphone owners say it the most important device for accessing the internet
* 42 per cent of smartphone owners regularly use social networking sites
* The average consumer spends 90 minutes a week accessing social networking sites and email.
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