5G has been the most awaited feature for consumers, promising to change the way one uses his/her phone due to the enhanced capabilities that come with 5G. Some of these include downloading major files or sending larger files in a fraction of the time that is currently taken. That being said, the feature is yet to arrive, and, as per reports, it will still be delayed in India, with the possibility of a launch in 2022, given the situation regarding 5G spectrum auctions and the trials, which are just starting. A ConsumerLab report by Ericsson provides some insight on 5G and how many users will move to the technology, indicating the true importance of the 5th Gen network and providing an insight into the number of prospective consumers waiting for the same.
40 Million Indians Ready to Upgrade to 5G in 2021
The report mentions that around 300 million consumers globally could upgrade to 5G in 2021 (Worldwide), which includes 40 million Indian users as well. Do note that the trials for 5G are yet to commence in India, further indicating the delay that has been caused by the pandemic and bad planning from the government. For those of you unaware, 5G will bring low latency applications and provide revenue new streams, being a major improvement over 4G. The report also states that India has the highest rise in intention to upgrade to 5G, with 67% of users interested in taking up 5G when it is available. In relation to this, Indian consumers are also ready to pay 50% more for 5G plans with added digital services such as OTT platforms, in comparison to a 10% premium for just 5G connectivity. Do note that with this, there are a set of expectations that these users have, with 70% of potential early adopters of 5G in India expecting higher speeds than 4G, with 60% users expecting innovation in pricing from telcos such as 5G data sharing between multiple users. It was also observed that 5G was triggering new behaviours within users, some of them being reduced Wi-Fi usage, one hour of AR gaming and two hours of cloud gaming in comparison to 4G users. To add to this, the report also predicts that consumers will be spending 7-8 hours a week on extended reality applications by 2025. It is also highlighted that by the end of 2020, increased awareness of service and value benefits could have led to 22% of users upgrading to 5G subscriptions using 5G-ready handsets.
