Consumers with 5G are generally satisfied with the technology. But lack of knowledge and an abundance of marketing promises also create misunderstandings, delaying the move to 5G.

These are some of the survey findings by network manufacturer Ericsson of 30,730 people in 26 markets worldwide. No Belgians were interviewed, but a few European residents, including those in France and Germany. These were active smartphone users between the ages of 15 and 69, 4025 of whom were already using 5G.

A remarkable observation by Ericsson is that not everyone knows what 5G is and when they can use it; four percent of the respondents have a 5G smartphone and a 5G subscription. But at the same time, four percent of the respondents claim that they use 5G, even though their device is not 5G compatible. In China, this is five percent; in the US, even fourteen percent claim to have 5G, even if they have a 4G device.

Ericsson notes that technical marketing jargon, among other things, causes uncertainty about network availability, device knowledge and whether or not 5G access is included.

But similar names also confuse, such as between WiFi on 5Ghz and 5G. Ericsson argues that this lack of clarity causes a wrong perception. If that were more clear to consumers, the adoption of 5G subscriptions could have been 22 percent higher by the end of 2020, the company says.

First impressions about 5G from people who have a 5G device and a 5G subscription are positive. But there are also some caveats.

Things like voice quality and reliability score pretty well. But the 5G consumer does expect more innovative services and better indoor coverage. The latter is considered to be up to twice as crucial as battery consumption or network speed. Having 5G at home is also something that the respondents consider essential.

Finally, Ericsson states that a fifth of 5G consumers uses less WiFi at home or on the move than 4G users. On average, they spend two hours a week more on cloud gaming (streaming), an hour more per week with augmented reality, and music and video streaming, 360 ° videos and VR are also used more.

Ericsson’s study provides little extra information on this, but it is not entirely clear whether this has to do with 5G or instead with the profile of the 5G user. After all, devices with 5G are usually slightly more expensive. Using the technology requires a unique, more expensive subscription in some countries. So it may just as well be that 5G users are the forerunners on the market today, who already use some digital services a little more or want to spend more on them.