45 per cent of smartphone owners use an IM (Instant Messaging) or OTT (Over-The-Top) app for messaging, as well as or instead of SMS, according to a research from Analysys Mason.

Operators neednt worry too much, however, as the research found that 97 per cent of participants observed over the two-month period used SMS, and only 1.7 per cent used OTT messaging without ever sending an SMS.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent of consumers use a VoIP app – and 20 per cent of those consumers use it more than traditional voice services. Unsurprisingly, Skype dominates the VoIP market, with 79 per cent of all VoIP users doing so via its app. 

“The relative fragmentation of the messaging market – compared to, for example, Skype’s dominance of the VoIP market – will continue to hinder full substitution,” said report co-author Stephen Sale. “However, while the messaging market is fragmented, the collective effect is having an impact on SMS usage; the number of text messages sent per active user is already declining in some Western countries.”

In Spain, where SMS and voice services has traditionally been more expensive, use of these services was higher – 33 per cent of respondents used mobile VoIP, and 80 per cent used IM or OTT messaging.