Meanwhile, social messaging is growing in importance by offering users new ways to communicate with their mobile phone and transforming the content of the message. The arrival of players such as Facebook on the mobile phone has caused messaging to occur around shared photographs and other media. In addition, Twitter has triggered discussions over hot topics and current affairs, with the social network claiming that 40 per cent of tweets come from mobile devices.

According to the report, to claw back lost market share, mobile operators should expand their messaging portfolio and add their own internet-based messaging option, taking care not to replicate exactly those already in the market place.

Dharia added: "Simply replicating a popular third-party service won't result in success for an operator-branded service. Operators must offer over and above a basic service, by leveraging exclusive information they hold on consumers, such as frequently called contacts."