Ericsson says its latest ConsumerLab report on 5G has found key opportunities for wireless carriers in offering 5G services to customers in the short term. The report is based on 35,000 interviews with smartphone users aged 15 to 69, surveyed in 22 different countries.
The top short-term benefit that consumers expect with 5G is relief from urban network congestion, particularly in large metro areas, according to the report. Ericsson said six in 10 smartphone users reported facing network issues in crowded areas, and said they would like 5G to deployed in these areas first.
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Consumers also expect 5G to bring increased competition and more service options to the home broadband market. Half of those interested in 5G fixed wireless broadband said they were either dissatisfied with their existing providers or lack broadband choices.
The report also found that consumers expect to change their mobile data usage behaviors with the availability of 5G. It said current 4G usage patterns are not indicative of future usage behaviors. Consumers are expecting to stream more high quality video on mobile networks, and are also expecting to use virtual reality and augmented reality apps and headsets more frequently on 5G networks. The report predicts one in five smartphone users’ data usage could reach more than 200GB per month on a 5G device by 2025.
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Finally, the report shed some light onto potential pricing models for 5G services. It found that smartphone users are willing to pay on average 20% more for 5G network services, and half of the early adopters indicated they would be willing to pay 32% more. But the higher prices come with higher expectations. The report found that four in ten of those willing to pay more for 5G services expected to receive consistently faster mobile broadband speeds, a secure 5G network, new use cases and new payment models.
Overall, 67% of consumers surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for new 5G services, and that consumers expect new 5G use cases and apps to go mainstream within two to three years of 5G’s launch.