The bar chart illustrates the total number of minutes (in billions) spent on telephone calls in the UK across three categories—local fixed-line, national and international fixed-line, and mobile calls—over the period from 1995 to 2002.
Local fixed-line calls consistently accounted for the highest number of minutes. Starting at 72 billion in 1995, their usage increased steadily to a peak of 90 billion in 1999. However, after this peak, there was a gradual decline, and by 2002, the figure had returned to its original level of 72 billion minutes. Despite this fluctuation, local fixed-line calls remained the dominant category throughout the period.
National and international fixed-line calls followed a steady upward trend. Beginning at 37 billion minutes in 1995, their usage rose each year, reaching 63 billion by 2002. This category maintained its position as the second most popular type of telephone call over the eight-year period.
Mobile calls, which started as the least-used category at just 4 billion minutes in 1995, experienced the most significant growth. Usage grew slowly during the first half of the period, reaching 12 billion minutes in 1999. However, the increase became much more pronounced in subsequent years, with mobile call minutes surging to 45 billion by 2002. Despite this dramatic rise, mobile calls remained the least-used category overall.