Overview
- Citing data published May 24, the Bundesnetzagentur reported that Germans sent just 2.9 billion SMS last year, roughly half the total from 2024.
- The drop marks an acceleration after modest year‑to‑year falls from 2022–2024 when SMS volumes ranged between about 5.8 and 5.2 billion.
- Vodafone confirmed the steep fall on its network and said users now prefer messaging apps, with the company expecting further declines.
- Regulators and industry analysts say a key driver is that many banks and firms have stopped using SMS for customer verification and moved to app‑based or biometric methods.
- Traditional voice traffic also fell, with fixed‑line minutes down to 47 billion and mobile minutes to 132 billion, and operators report growing data use as calls and messages shift to internet services.