Tomi Ahonen is widely regarded as a mobile industry thought leader. He’s a former Nokia executive who now is constantly studying on and reporting about the mobile industry, with a focus on usage habits and outreach opportunities for marketers.

In a speech he gave recently at Mobile Web Africa in Johannesburg, he gave some amazing statistics, such as:

– Mobile is a far speedier way to reach consumers than other digital channels. A study conducted in New Zealand found that the average e-mail is read 48 hours after it is sent, while the average SMS is read in four minutes. “SMS is literally 720 times faster than e-mail in message-opening throughput.”

— Also, mobile device users are addicted to their devices. Nokia reported at MindTrek 2010 that the average person looks at their phone 150 times a day, or once every six-and-a-half minutes of every waking hour.

— In Africa, it’s 82 times a day, according to Young and Rubicam in its Mobile Mania Report published in April 2011 — thus, even, in Africa mobile users check their devices on average every 12 minutes.

Let’s go back one step and look at those stats.  The average person checks their phone 150 times per day?  Does this resonate with you, as  phone user?  I know for me, I likely check my phone about 150 times a day to see if a new message or email came in..but 150 seems really far afield.

However, perhaps I’m not the ‘average’ user. I could easily see how a teen who’s text messaging constantly would check their phone and then respond to messages 150 times per day. Especially in the case of some teens sending hundrends of text messages from wake time to sleep time.

What do you think?

(via Textually || photo credit goes to Wayan Vota)