2 in 5 plan to make a call to wish friends and family a Happy New Year

Over half of people will use WhatsApp, thirty-seven percent prefer texting and nearly one in four will opt for video calls.

Transcript

00:0040 years ago, Michael Harrison made history with a phone call that would change the way

00:06we communicate forever. Just after midnight on January the 1st, 1985, Harrison called

00:12his father, Sir Ernest Harrison, using the Vodafone transportable VT1. The device, as

00:17large and heavy as a car battery, symbolised the dawn of mobile telephony in the United

00:22Kingdom. Fast forward to today and the tradition of connecting with loved ones during the New

00:26Year remains strong. New research from Vodafone shows that two in five people plan to make

00:31a call to wish friends and family a Happy New Year in 2025. Over half of people will

00:36use WhatsApp, 37 per cent prefer texting and nearly one in four will opt for video calls.

00:42On Vodafone's network alone, the first hour of this year saw over 3.4 million minutes

00:47of calls and 2.2 million texts sent. Since Michael's historic call, mobile phones have

00:52evolved at an astonishing pace. 93 per cent of people surveyed agree that mobile technology

00:57has revolutionised the way we live, work and interact, with 84 per cent considering it

01:01one of the greatest inventions of our time.