The launch of 5G is dominating tech news especially after Mobile World Conference (25—28 February), yet according to new research fewer than one in five (19%) consumers are fully aware of what the benefits will be. The research conducted by Trusted Reviews, the UK’s technology consumer review website, also reveals the biggest questions and concerns consumers have over the latest 5G developments.
The company’s research revealed the most commonly asked 5G questions and concerns; explaining what you should know about the new service to help consumers make more informed purchases.
The top 5G questions and concerns
The company’s new 5G survey, compiled from a poll of 2,052 consumers, highlighted the key areas which are lacking in information to debunk the myths associated with 5G, and help consumers make smarter purchasing decisions.
What is it? 35% of consumers want to know what 5G is.
5G is the fifth generation of mobile connectivity. It follows 4G and promises faster headline speeds, broader and more reliable coverage.
How fast is it? 39% of consumers asked how much faster 5G is compared to 4G.
Tests by the likes of Qualcomm and EE have achieved download speeds of between 2.8Gbps and 7Gbps. But these are in ideal conditions. In real life speeds are more likely to be closer to the UK’s average broadband download speed of 50.16 Mbps (Speedtest), but that is still almost twice the average mobile download speed of 26.36 Mbps.
What are the benefits? 44% of consumers want to know how 5G will benefit them
Moving speed aside, other notable benefits of 5G include greater reliability as technology can handle far greater numbers of users simultaneously. We’ve also been promised lower latency, so you should see an immediate response when you try and play a song, hit a website link and so on. Qualcomm has suggested that we’ll see latency cut by up to 10 times in total, to around 1ms theoretically.
Will it cost more? 50% want to know the cost of 5G and 15% are worried their phone bills will increase
UK networks have yet to announce price plans for 5G contracts, but as the first phones to come to market will be expensive, you can reasonably expect to pay more if you want to be among the first to get a taste of 5G life.
When will it be available? 35% want to know when it will be rolled out.
For most of the UK, 5G won’t be a reality until 2020. If you live in one of the UK’s four capital cities: London, Belfast, Cardiff or Edinburgh, you’re more likely be among the first to try it out as both EE and O2 have announced they will be rolling out 5G in those cities first. Meanwhile EE have also announced they intend to introduce 5G to 12 other cities before the end of the year.
Will I have to get a new phone? 7% are worried they might need to get a new phone before the end of their contract
5G will not work with any phone you may already have. So if you wish to take advantage of the roll out of 5G you will need to invest in a new handset. And you can expect 5G handsets to also cost more than the standard version of the same handset.
Nick Merritt, Editor in Chief of TrustedReviews.com comments, “Despite the hype, our research highlights the current lack of public understanding of what 5G is, its benefits, and its risks. While the industry is talking a good game around 5G, until more details – and crucially pricing – are disclosed, it remains to be seen how quickly people will adopt it. There is no doubt that 5G is an exciting technology that will mean much faster phone connection speeds when it’s ready, but in our view it’s a bit early for the general consumer to be considering 5G just yet”
