5G is already having a huge impact on smartphone users worldwide and what they expect the technology to deliver in the future, according to the Five Ways to a Better 5G report from Ericsson.
Research shows that increased awareness of service and value benefits could have resulted in 22% more smartphone users with 5G-ready handsets upgrading to 5G subscriptions while one-in-five 5G users are already reducing Wi-Fi use on their phones indoors because of the benefits of 5G mobile connectivity.
5G is also beginning to trigger new user behaviours. In addition to reducing Wi-Fi use, early adopter 5G users also spend an average of two hours more on cloud gaming and one hour more on augmented reality (AR) apps per week compared to 4G users.
However, while 5G users are satisfied with the speed, about 70% are dissatisfied with the availability of innovative services and new apps. Consumers say they are willing to pay 20 to 30% more for 5G plans bundled with digital service use cases.
With that in mind, here are five ways 5G can be improved to meet consumer expectations:
- address the knowledge gap by educating and better marketing the value of 5G to consumers
- ensure consistent quality of indoor and outdoor 5G coverage
- adapt to network requirements for new 5G services
- focus on consumer intent to envision new 5G use cases
- accelerate availability of existing and new use cases through ecosystem partnerships
“So far, analyses of 5G network experiences have mostly focused on 5G speeds and availability based on independent network measurements,” says Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab at Ericsson Research.
“But it is equally important to understand how 5G early adopters perceive that experience. With Ericsson ConsumerLab’s five recommendations and insights, CSPs can encourage 5G adoption and meet consumer expectations.”
