News of Osama Bin Laden’s death saw an almost immediate spike in domestic and international SMS traffic in the US, according to figures from Sybase365. (It also saw a spike in bad location-based gags on Twitter which we could have done without.)
In less than 30 minutes, SMS traffic in the US spiked 18 per cent as people informed each other and tuned into the major TV networks covering bin Laden’s death. The effect ripples when other countries are considered. The most significant spikes occurred in Asia, where it was daytime when people learned of the news. Singapore saw an 85 per cent increase, with traffic in Australia and New Zealand rising by 53 per cent, in Thailand by 44 per cent. 
