Ookla, a global leader in network intelligence and connectivity insights, just released a report on consumer research for India related to 5G. The 5G spectrum auctions have been completed and it is time for the telecom operators to launch 5G networks in the country. The survey found Ookla that 89% of Indian consumers want to upgrade to 5G network services. The consumer survey was conducted among users aged 18 and over in both urban and rural parts of the country. More than 89% of respondents expressed an interest in upgrading to 5G.
Of these, 48% of respondents plan to upgrade to 5G as soon as it becomes available in their region, even if it requires a service provider switch. 20% of respondents would wait for their service providers to upgrade to the 5G network. 14% of respondents plan to use the services after an upgrade to a 5G device, and 7% would wait for their current contract period to expire.
Commenting on the survey findings, Sylwia Kechiche, Principal Analyst, Enterprise at Ookla, said: While mobile users in India are among the most data-intensive users in the world, India’s 4G/LTE networks have become a demand bottleneck. Only 1.4% of respondents said they are satisfied with the existing network performance and have no plans to upgrade to 5G. The promise of 5G is that it will unlock a world of possibilities beyond just a faster network connection.”
Findings from Ookla .’s survey
The first finding is that 70% of respondents said that if mobile internet connections were good, they would increase their video streaming consumption. In addition, 68% of respondents said they would boost their mobile gaming. Operators have acquired a total of 44,960 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz spectrum band (mmWave), which is particularly useful for streaming and gaming due to its high throughput. It also provides extra capacity in densely populated areas such as stadiums.
The second thing the survey found was that 42% of respondents believe that faster speeds are the answer to improving the customer experience. Since telcos have spectrum in the C band and mmWave band, they can certainly deliver faster speeds. In addition to faster speeds, 24% of respondents want a more reliable connection, while 21% want better indoor coverage. However, only 1 in 10 respondents pointed to better outdoor coverage as a factor that would be most beneficial.
Indians are very excited about the arrival of 5G. Mainly because due to various factors they couldn’t get the fast mobile internet experience with 4G. Consumers are willing to abandon their current choice of operators if they get 5G from another operator first. Both Airtel and Jio aim to launch 5G services themselves by August 2022.
The main issue right now is the cost of 5G smartphones. There is also the educational factor and the uncertainties surrounding 5G that people would like to know before deciding to adopt 5G network services.
