5G driving changing consumer behaviours

A new report from Ericsson has found that 5G is already changing smartphone user behaviours worldwide, with 5G smartphone owners spending an average of two hours more on cloud gaming per week compared to 4G users.

The report also found that 5G users are spending an extra hour per week on augmented reality apps compared to their 4G phone owning counterparts.

The report found that a key driver of 5G adoption is awareness of the benefits of the next-generation mobile technology.

It estimates that by the end of 2020, increased awareness of service and value benefits could have resulted in 22% more smartphone users with 5G-ready handsets upgrading to 5G subscriptions.

It accordingly recommends that mobile operators that have commenced the rollout of 5G address the knowledge gap by educating and better marketing the value of 5G to consumers. Operators should also focus on consumer intent to envision new 5G use cases.

Other key recommendations include ensuring consistent quality of indoor and outdoor 5G coverage, adapting to network requirements for new 5G services and accelerating 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,” Ericsson Research Head of ConsumerLab Jasmeet Singh Sethi said.

“But it is equally important to understand how 5G early adopters perceive that experience. With Ericsson ConsumerLab’s five recommendations and insights, [mobile operators] can encourage 5G adoption and meet consumer expectations.”

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