Ericsson has released a new ConsumerLab report, 5G Consumer Potential, which busts industry myths surrounding the value of 5G for consumers and outlines the opportunities available for communications service providers.
Backed by solid research from one of the biggest ever consumer expectation studies, the report looks at the potential of 5G to benefit consumers, uncovering certain realities about them (“consumer realities”) to bust the following four common industry myths:
- 5G offers consumers no short-term benefits.
- There are no real use cases for 5G, nor is there a price premium on 5G.
- Smartphones will be the “silver bullet” for 5G: the magical single solution to delivering fifth-generation services.
- Current usage patterns can be used to predict future 5G demand.
The study brings some sense of reality to the ongoing debate in the ICT industry about whether there is an opportunity for a premium consumer offering based on 5G’s extra capabilities.
The key findings of the study include the fact that consumers expect 5G to provide relief from urban network congestion in the near term – especially in megacities, where six in 10 smartphone users report facing network issues in crowded areas. The respondents also anticipate more home broadband choices to be available with the launch of 5G.
- In India, 43 percent users say they face most issues with 4G in crowded locations.
- 50% of users in India feel that smartphones will still exist, but we will all be wearing smart glasses in the next 5 years
- 40% of users in India feel Mobile phones won’t have screens in 3 years; we will be able to project everything on any surface
