Despite Conventional Wisdom, Consumers Ready to Pay More for 5G, Ericsson Says

Smartphone users report a willingness to pay a 20 percent premium for 5G, and half of early adopters would pay as much as 32 percent more, Ericsson ConsumerLab reported: “One in five smartphone users’ data consumption could reach more than 200GB per month on a 5G device by 2025.” The lab said current use patterns can’t be used to predict future 5G demand. The report is based 35,000 interviews with smartphone users, 15-69, in 22 countries. “Such is the uncertainty that some believe 4G technology is already more than capable of doing everything consumers demand,” the gearmaker said: “This has led analysts and commentators to warn that consumers are unlikely to pay a premium to access a service they don't need. These presumptions seem to have rubbed off on operators.”