Last week at The Canadian Telecom Summit, Ericsson released a new consumer study claiming “Canadian consumers are ready to bring 5G into the mainstream as four million smartphone users plan to upgrade to 5G services over the next 12-15 months.”
Ericsson ConsumerLab conducted the global consumer study interviewing 49,100 consumers in 37 markets (including 1200 in Canada) between April and July 2022.
The study highlights six key 5G trends, suggesting how communications service providers can respond to the expectations of early adopters as well as the next wave of consumers, driving further 5G adoption:
- Consumer 5G adoption to be inflation-resilient
- 5G is being adopted by a new wave of users with higher expectations
- Perceived 5G availability is emerging as the new satisfaction benchmark
- 5G is pushing up usage of enhanced video and augmented reality (AR)
- 5G monetization models are expected to evolve
- 5G adoption is paving the path to the metaverse
Relevant to the 3rd trend, the study found that 5G population coverage in Canada has reached 75% but only 33% of Canadian 5G users perceive being connected more than 50% of the time.
According to Ericsson Canada,
Six in 10 Canadian survey respondents said they want 5G plans to offer more than just gigabytes. Consumers are looking for more tailored network capabilities like application enhanced connectivity rather than best effort 5G, which has itself improved measurably this year with rollout of Mid-Band spectrum. This demonstrates the new business model opportunities the next wave of 5G presents for service providers by bundling digital services and focusing on quality of service for demanding applications like gaming and extended reality (XR).
This study is reportedly the largest global 5G-related consumer survey in the industry to date, and the largest consumer survey conducted by Ericsson on any topic.
And yesterday, Ericsson released its November Mobility Report [pdf, 2.6MB] that looks back at the growth of the wireless industry in 2022 and reveals key predictions and trends looking toward 2028. Ericsson observed that 5G continues to scale faster than any previous mobile generation: “5G subscription uptake has been faster than that of 4G, with 5G expected to reach 1 billion subscriptions 2 years sooner than 4G.”
Key drivers are said to include the availability of devices from multiple vendors, with prices falling faster than for 4G. North America and North East Asia continue to see strong 5G growth, with 5G subscription penetration in the regions expected to reach about 35 percent by end of 2022.
According to Ericsson, almost 230 Communications Service Providers have launched 5G services, with more than 700 5G smartphone models announced or launched commercially.
Two reports from Ericsson to add to your December reading list.