TalkTalk reveals the lifetime cost of staying in touch with friends and family
The cost of keeping in touch can quickly add up. In fact, according to phone, mobile and broadband provider TalkTalk we’ll spend a whopping £65,564.94 on average keeping in touch with friends and family during our lifetime.
With the costs of communicating in the 21st Century covering calls and texts, line rental, data roaming charges, buying and replacing handsets, insurance, accessories and broadband subscription, we now spend almost as much on communication as we do on gas, water and electricity combined1.
In a typical lifetime each of us will spend £16,235 on mobile bills, followed closely by home broadband at £12,414 and then the cost of our fixed line rental £11,228. As adults, we will also spend around £5,000 on average replacing our handsets for newer models, with each of us spending around £970 on average each year on communicating with friends, family and colleagues.
TalkTalk’s research marks the introduction of its Value Line Rental package which allows phone and broadband customers to pay a one-off payment of £114 for one year’s line rental, which equates to just £9.50 a month, cheaper than BT, Sky and Virgin Media, offering savings of over £50 a year for customers.
Tristia Clarke, Commercial Director at TalkTalk said, “Communication is one of the most basic human needs but the cost of staying in touch is significant. We know keeping in touch with friends and family is really important for our customers, but we also know these costs can add up, which is why we’re doing everything we can to bring the cost of communication down”.
Talk Talk’s research into the costs of staying connected revealed a number of additional findings, which paint an illuminating picture of how our society is communicating in the 21st Century:
- Men spend 5% more on average than women during their lifetime
- Northerners spend 2% less on average than southerners
- People with children will spend on average 7% more than those without
- Londoners will spend the most on communicating in their lifetime – 30% more than people in Yorkshire & Humberside, who will spend the lowest
|
Category |
Lifetime spend |
Lifetime spend |
|
Men vs. Women (over 18) |
Men (£67,035.21) |
Women (£64,094.67) |
|
North vs. South |
North (£65,322.16) |
South (£66,326.22) |
|
Kids vs. no kids |
Kids (£67,301.61) |
No Kids (£63,124.94) |
|
Highest spending region vs. lowest spending |
Highest London (£71,818.05) |
Lowest Yorkshire & Humberside (£55.477.06) |
Ends
For more information please contact:
Email: pressoffice@talktalkgroup.com
Telephone: 020 3417 1383 / 020 3417 1614
About TalkTalk
- TalkTalk now has over 4.1 million broadband and phone customers signed up to TalkTalk and AOL Broadband.
- TalkTalk operates a fully unbundled network, which extends to over 2,000 exchanges and covers over 85% of our customers.
- In uSwitch's Customer Satisfaction Report 2010, TalkTalk was voted the best value for money home phone provider. And in Top10.com's Broadband Awards 2010, TalkTalk Essentials was voted the best home broadband. TalkTalk also picked up Top10.com's best broadband and home phone award.
- TalkTalk's site (www.talktalk.co.uk) is the online hub for customers to manage their account, use their webmail, resolve their problems and access a range of information and entertainment content. The site is used by nearly three million users every month.
- TalkTalk is one of seven partners behind YouView (www.youview.com), the new internet-connected TV service, along with the BBC, ITV, BT, Channel 4, Arqiva and Five. YouView is expected to launch to UK homes in 2012.
• Follow TalkTalk on Twitter and on our blog: @TalkTalkTips and www.talktalkblog.co.uk
1 Average bill per household for gas, electricity and water combined in 2011 was £1,365.