Data usage could reach more than 200GB per month on 5G device by 2025: Ericsson

According to Ericsson ConsumerLab report, smartphone users are willing to pay a 20 percent premium for 5G services, while half of the early adopters would pay as much as 32 percent more.

The report reveals that one in five smartphone users' data usage could reach more than 200GB per month on a 5G device by 2025.

"The report also dispels the ICT industry myth that consumers are unwilling to pay a premium on 5G. In fact, smartphone users state that they are willing to pay 20 percent more for fifth-generation services, and half of the early adopters as much as 32 percent more. However, four in 10 of these high spenders expect new use cases and payment models as well as a secure 5G network in addition to consistently high internet speed," Ericsson said.

Another key finding is that current 4G usage patterns are not indicative of future usage behaviors. Video consumption is set to rise with 5G. The mobile consumers expect 5G to provide relief from urban network congestion in the near term - especially in megacities, where 6 in 10 smartphone users report facing network issues in crowded areas, the study mentioned.

Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab, Ericsson Research, says: "Through our research, we have busted four myths about consumers' views on 5G and answered questions such as whether 5G features will require new types of devices, or whether smartphones will be the silver bullet for 5G. Consumers clearly state that they think smartphones are unlikely to be the sole solution for 5G."

The report also noted that consumers expect to not only stream video in higher resolutions but also use immersive video formats such as Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR), resulting in an additional three hours of video content being watched weekly on mobile devices by users in the 5G future when they are out and about, including one hour wearing AR glasses or VR headsets.

Highlights

Smartphone users say they are willing to pay a 20 percent premium for 5G services, while half of the early adopters would pay as much as 32 percent more.

One in five smartphone users' data consumption could reach more than 200GB per month on a 5G device by 2025.

5G offers consumers no short-term benefits.