Articles

Antipodeans Crowned Chattiest People

• Average phone call to New Zealand lasts 17 minutes, making it the chattiest nationAshes action could see Australia take top spot with expats calling home

New Zealand is top of the League of Chattiest Nations according to new phone call data released today by Post Office® Telecoms. With the average telephone call from the UK to New Zealand lasting over 17 minutes, it seems that the friendly Kiwi persona rings true.

Coming narrowly behind their antipodean neighbours, Australia is second in the league with an average call time of over 15 minutes. With many Aussies calling home to share in the excitement of the latest Ashes test, Australians could soon top the poll.

Our Eastern Europeans neighbours have lots to talk about too, with Poland coming in third place, closely followed by the Czech Republic in fourth.

Also dominating the table are the Scandinavian countries with Denmark, Sweden and Norway all appearing in the top ten. Americans and Italians are the least talkative on the phone, taking ninth and tenth place respectively.

Released to coincide with the new telephone package from Post Office HomePhone, which offers free weekend calls to landlines across 40 international destinations, the League of Chattiest Nations demonstrates that staying in-touch with our friends and family abroad is vital to many UK individuals.

Hugh Stacey, head of Post Office HomePhone, said: “We have found that one in five UK phone users (22 per cent) feel they don’t call their friends and family abroad as much as they would like to because of the perceived high-cost* which is why we now offer free weekend calls to 40 international destinations.

“It’s interesting to see how similar groups of countries have made it into the top ten in our ‘League of Chattiest Nations’. It will be fascinating to see if Australia can rise to the top of the table over the summer as conversations about The Ashes reach fever-pitch.”

League of Chattiest Nations – Results:

For more information on Post Office HomePhone or to apply for the new package, please visit www.postoffice.co.uk.

Ends

Notes to Editors

*All taken from T-Poll survey carried out on behalf of the Post Office in June 2009. Sample: 1,076 adults residing in the UK

The new package from Post Office HomePhone offers free weekend calls to UK mobile phones and landlines and free calls to landlines across 40 international destinations, enabling massive savings for phone users – especially those that regularly call abroad. The new deal is £11.75 a month and features:

• Inclusive line rental
• Free and weekend calls - to UK landlines and 0845/0870 numbers
• Free weekend calls – to UK mobiles as well as landlines across 40 international destinations – including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Canary Islands, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey & USA
• Free calls anytime – to other Home Phone customers
• No long contract and no minimum tie-in
• 10% off calls to your nominated ‘Loved Ones’ plus a free 60-minute call on their birthdays and Christmas Day

The Post Office offers a range of great value telephony products and services:

E Top-ups

Post Office branches offer a convenient E Top-up service for mobile phones.

Phonecards

Post Office branches offer a range of great value international phonecards

Post Office HomePhone and Broadband

Post Office 118855

The Post Office Homephone service was launched in January 2005 and offers customers a line rental and calls service. A Broadband service was added in October 2007 and offers customers a cash prepayment option, fast connection speeds, no rural surcharges and a range of great value packages, including bundles with the Post Office’s telephone service – HomePhone.

Terminate the Rate

Its directory enquiries service – 118855 – offers one of the most competitive prices on the market with all calls charged at a flat rate of 39.1p (no per minute charges). Customers can get two searches per call and free text back to mobiles.

For more information on the Terminate the Rate campaign or to sign the petition to bring down the cost of Mobile Termination Rates visit www.terminatetherate.org.