With the increasing prevalence of 5G networks in many parts of the world and the expectation that the adoption of these networks will move from individual cases in the beginning to a wave of mass adoption, a new study from Ericsson, the largest global study of its kind in the industry to date, highlights the commitment The growing consumer 5G network, and their expectations about the new use cases it could offer.
Ericsson Consumer Lab report, released this year under the title “5G: The Next Wave”, examines the impact that the 5G network has had on early consumers since its launch in some countries around the world, in addition to identifying the intent of non-subscribers so far to use and adopt this network. technology, and their expectations. The report indicates that at least 30% of smartphone users plan to subscribe to the 5G network within the next year.
Ericsson data tracking 5G network launches since 2019 and a new consumer survey allowed the Consumer Lab report to identify six key trends influencing the next wave of next-generation network adoption.
The report addresses behavioral changes resulting from the inclusion of digital services in 5G plans that will be provided by telecom service providers, especially the increasing use of video and augmented reality applications.
The report also looks at the speed of 5G adoption, whether that adoption is meeting consumer demands, 5G-related changes in smartphone behavior and the impact of these changes on network traffic.
Developed by interviewing more than 49,000 consumers in 37 countries, the report is the industry’s largest global 5G consumer survey to date, and the largest consumer survey conducted by Ericsson in its history. The scope of this survey represents the opinions of nearly 1.7 billion consumers around the world, including 430 million 5G subscribers.
Commenting on the report, Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of Consumer Lab at Ericsson, said: “The broad scope of this report gives us real insight into consumer opinions and attitudes toward 5G, and shows that the next wave of potential 5G users will have different expectations from This technique compared to the first users. Consumers see interaction with the 5G network as an essential part of their future lifestyles. It is interesting to note that the 5G network is emerging as an important factor for early users to adopt services related to the world of metaverse, such as social networking, gaming, and purchasing digital items in interactive 3D virtual gaming platforms. It is also worth noting that the amount of time 5G users spend on augmented reality applications has doubled over the past two years compared to 4G users.”
The report predicts that 5G consumers with experience using extended reality functionality will be the first to adopt future devices, as they are most excited about the capabilities of mixed reality glasses. Half of 5G users who already use extended reality services on a weekly basis believe that augmented reality apps will move from smartphones to an extended reality helmet within the next two years, compared to a third of 5G consumers who share this view.
5G: The Next Wave: Six Key Trends
5G adoption to fight inflation: At least 510 million consumers in 37 markets around the world are likely to adopt 5G in 2023.
The next wave of demanding users: The next wave of 5G users has high expectations about the performance of this network, especially its coverage, compared to early adopters, who are interested in the new innovative services enabled by this network.
The availability of 5G networks represents a new standard for consumer satisfaction: geographic coverage, indoor or outdoor coverage, and aggregate coverage in hotspots are more important to building user perception than demographic coverage.
5G is increasing the use of enhanced video and augmented reality technologies: Over the past two years, the time 5G users spend on augmented reality applications has doubled to two hours per week.
5G monetization is expected to evolve: 6 in 10 consumers expect 5G offerings to go beyond providing more data and speed, to network capabilities that are tailored to meet specific needs.
5G adoption is paving the way to the world of metaviruses: 5G users currently spend one hour per week on metaverse-related services more than 4G users. They also expect that more than two hours of video content per week will be consumed on mobile devices by 2025, 1.5 hours of which will be on augmented reality glasses.
