According to a recent study commissioned by Nortel, people find that their cell phones are more invaluable when away from home than even their keys or wallet. Those surveyed were asked what would be the single item that they would take with them if they knew they had to be outside for more than 24 hours.

Of those surveyed, 38% said that they would choose to take their cell phone, whereas just 30% felt the need to haul around a wallet. I guess that having your mobile phone in an emergency — for both communication and entertainment purposes — is more important than having access to your debit card, but without some sort of mobile payment system in place, you can’t exactly pay for anything with your cell phone.

Interestingly, a full 16% of respondents fall into what Nortel calls the “hyperconnected” category. These are individuals who carry around no fewer than seven devices and have no fewer than nine applications to accomplish their work and personal mobility needs. These “hyperconnected” individuals are projected to hit 40% of the population in just five years.