SMS, e-cards popular New Year's greetings modes for young

BANGKOK: -- The time when sending a New Year card by post are gone and mostly forgotten as Thai young people have discovered instant text messaging and e-cards as increasingly

attractive ways of saying "Happy New Year," according to a survey by the Kasikorn Research Centre.

The number of SMS messages sent on December 31 and January 1 is expected to increase five-fold to 70 million messages while the number of e-cards sent during the same period would rise by 30-40

per cent.

The majority of electronic well-wishers are aged from 20 to 29, while young people below age 20 are the second largest group using SMS and e-cards. Unsurprisingly, older people rely more on traditional postal communication to deliver their New Year wishes to friends and families.

The report predicts that the number of mobile phone subscribers will have risen to 37.8 million by the end of 2006, or 58 per cent of the Thai population.

Meanwhile, there are 8 million Internet subscribers, some 12.3 per cent of the population.

Despite the advantages of speed and interactivity, the research agency warns users to take into account the higher costs of sending SMS messages and e-cards and perhaps bear that in mind when they next send a New Year greeting to loved ones.

--TNA 2006-12-31

All my Christmas greetings went out over the Internet,

with only 4 exceptions who have not caught up with the electronic age.

Happy New Year to all, at ThaiVisa