Third of Romanian smartphone users intend to switch to 5G in 2023, study shows

Three out of ten smartphone users in Romania (31%) intend to subscribe to 5G services in the next year, according to data centralized in the Ericsson ConsumerLab report “5G: The Next Wave.”

The Ericsson report is the largest 5G global consumer study to date. It recorded responses from 49,100 consumers in 37 markets.

The scope of the survey is representative of the views of approximately 1.7 billion consumers worldwide, including 430 million 5G subscribers. It shows that smartphone users want to switch to 5G for faster speeds, access to innovative applications and devices, and better network connectivity.

Only 2% of mobile service consumers in Romania currently use 5G, and when the share of subscriptions of this type reaches 15% of the total number of users, mass adoption of 5G technology should accelerate. The Ericsson study shows that 36% of the Romanian population currently has 5G coverage, and 35% of 5G users perceive that they are connected to 5G networks more than 50% of the time.

Nine out of ten early adopters of 5G believe that the new technology and its innovative services are important elements of the offers made available by mobile service operators. 43% of local 5G users say they will start or plan to use AR (augmented reality) applications more often.

Globally, a total of 30% (510 million) of users express an intention to upgrade to a 5G connection. “Intention to upgrade is likely to vary across markets based on market maturity and inflation concerns, and high growth markets will drive the majority of sign-ups,” says the Ericsson ConsumerLab report.

Eight out of 10 of those who have already made use of 5G technology do not plan to go back to 4G. Despite the inflation and possible economic downturn, the majority of smartphone users globally do not intend to reduce their spending on mobile broadband.

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