Children under 15 are the most likely victims
The study published by the Home Office on Tuesday estimates the overall number of stolen mobiles is more than double the 330,000 figure officially recorded by police.
With a mobile phone stolen approximately every three minutes, the government says the industry could be doing more to reverse the figures.
Minister John Denham, launching a mobile phone crime prevention initiative at a south London school, said: "I am aware that this year mobile phones were one of the top items on many kids' Christmas lists and a lot of children will be tempted to bring their new phones to school.
"I want to make sure that these children don't become the latest victims in a disturbing new robbery trend."
Click here for statistics on the victims and the suspects
Not only are overall robbery rates up 13%, but the proportion of those involving mobiles has soared from 8% three years ago to 28% last year, says the survey.
The total number of phone robberies is thought to have risen almost threefold in five years, but mobile phone ownership is also rising rapidly.
Chairman of the Youth Justice Board, Lord Warner, said the figures indicated an
"extremely worrying phenomenon" of large numbers of young people committing
crimes on their peers.
He said both parents and schools needed to question the wisdom of allowing pupils take such valuable items to school.
Text-bombing
The government wants to see initiatives from mobile phone companies, and with them and the police is studying the feasibility of piloting text-bombing of stolen handsets, successfully used in Holland.
The research comes after repeated government warnings to mobile phone companies to
improve security.
It wants companies to introduce measures which allow accounts to be cut off
when customers pass on the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number (the 15-digit number which appears when you press *#06#) of stolen handsets.
Virgin, One to One and Orange offer this service, but a spokesman on Tuesday said BT Cellnet and Vodafone have failed to agree to the measures.
Orange issued a statement saying it had been
working with the government, police and the industry "towards developing
practical solutions to combat the problem" of rising thefts.
A spokeswoman for BT Cellnet said that while the company was working with the Home Office, it did not agree with the IMEI measures.
She said: "IMEI barring does not solve the problem
because you can reprogram new IMEIs.
"Also IMEI barring does not disable the handset from being usable. All it
does is stop calls being made on the network that barred it.
"The handset itself is completely usable and does not lose its
functionality."
Ministers are still considering whether to introduce legislation that will force networks to introduce the anti-theft measures, but the spokesman said that would be "a last resort".
Officials say the increase in mobile phone theft has distorted otherwise generally falling crime rates.
Some of the robberies involve violence - on New Year's Day a 19-year-old woman was shot in
the head by a mugger who was trying to steal her mobile phone.
Mr Denham said: "A start has been made, but more needs to be done before Britain's mobile phone system can lead the world in security."
Phone theft statistics
Mobile phone stolen every three minutes in UK
Average age of thief is 16
Up to half of phone theft victims are under 18
Source: Home Office
Related to this story:
Crackdown on mobile phone thefts
(16 Jul 01 | UK)
Victim appeals for phone thief's capture
(03 Jan 02 | England)
Pupils warned over mobile phone theft
(08 Nov 01 | Education)
