£65,500 bill to keep in touch as Britons spend almost as much on communication as utilities

THE cost of keeping in touch by phone, mobile and broadband adds up to more than £65,500 over an average lifetime, new figures show.

Britons are spending almost as much on communications as they are on their combined gas and electricity bills, according to the research.

Adding up the cost of monthly contracts, new handsets, insurance and the calls themselves, the lifetime spend is now a staggering £65,565, said TalkTalk.

The typical annual bill is about £970 per adult per year, while the average combined gas, electricity and water bill per household is about £1,365, it said.

Mobile phones now account for the highest proportion of spending with users paying out £16,235 on monthly bills across a lifetime. A further £5,000 is spent updating to the latest handset on a regular basis as technology changes, while £12,414 is spent on home broadband bills, another £11,228 on fixed line rentals and a further £8,000 on the calls themselves.

Around £12,000 is spent on extras and accessories, including insurance, security, repairing phones and charging up mobiles.

The bill for men is higher than for women, which may dispel the myth that women spend more time on the phone.

However, men tend to buy more expensive handsets and spend more on downloads and extras.

The typical adult British male will spend just over £67,000 on communications across a lifetime compared to the female equivalent of just over £64,000.

Commercial director Tristia Clarke said: “Communication is one of the most basic human needs but the cost of staying in touch is significant.

“We know keeping in touch 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.”