Mobile phone resource GSMArena has carried out a poll that reveals some interesting statistics regarding people’s opinion on 5G in 2020.
The poll found that a third of the people plan to buy a 5G phone in 2020, with another third more interested in other smartphone features, and 31% saying that costs would have to drop before they would consider it.
In the poll, which canvassed opinion from 6,870 visitors to the GSMArena website, 14% said they would buy a phone and a 5G plan by the end of the year, with a further 19% saying they would also buy a 5G handset, but for future-proofing, and without a plan.
At least another year or two
A commenter on the GSMArena website echoed some of the concerns raised in the poll over 5G availability: “I'm not really interested in 5G at the moment. I use AT&T in the US, and they're deploying the mmW and also the sub-6GHz versions. The sub-6GHz is available in my area, but it's likely still to be spotty and take at least another good year or two to make it outside major cities. I remember it took LTE a good while to be ubiquitous," they said.
"I have yet to see a killer app for 5G that makes me say "OK, I have to have this". LTE was a big step up in speed from 3G, so the use was obvious. I could have decent speeds that were almost homelike while I was on the road. While 5G promises that as well, the tech is either more geographically limited, or doesn't offer a significant upgrade over what I have right now,” they said.
As well as the higher cost of 5G devices and plans, it’s also apparent that many of the 31% of people not looking for a 5G phone right now are also being put off by poor 5G coverage, even in some of the world’s largest urban areas.
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