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FWA and video appeal to consumers and businesses respectively
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and video are the most important aspects of 5G for consumers and IT businesses respectively, according to new research from Nokia.
The infrastructure giant, in association with Park Associates, carried out two surveys: one of 3,000 consumers across the UK, USA and South Korea, and one among 1,000 IT business workers from the USA and UK across industries included energy, government and transport.
Among consumers, more than three quarters (76 per cent) viewed FWA as the most appealing 5G use case, with 66 per cent saying they would subscribe to 5G FWA if it did not have a premium cost.
41 per cent of respondents only had a single broadband provider, highlighting the opportunity for operators to offer FWA as a viable alternative.
“Video has been a bedrock of social interaction and 5G can greatly improve this capability, while social isolation and remote work likely increase appeal for immersive experience applications,” said Nokia vice president of communication service provider marketing Josh Aroner. “FWA is an attractive early use case for 5G, especially with remote install, but operators must make an informed decision about how to invest in it and in which geographic location.”
Additionally, 80 per cent of those familiar with 5G found it appealing, while more than half said they would switch operator if their current provider did not offer them 5G in the next 12 months.
In the enterprise sector, 65 per cent of participants said they were “familiar” with 5G, with 34 per cent saying they were already using 5G to a level of high satisfaction, with 47 per cent saying they had started planning to use the service.
In terms of use cases, 83 per cent said video was a compelling proposition, followed by remote machinery (77 per cent) and connected cars (73 per cent).
Aroner added: “We anticipate requirements born out ofthe COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate longer-term 5G plans with a focus on digitisation, automation and analytics, which perfectly lend themselves to physical distancing, monitoring and remote working.
“Now that we have a better understanding of what is happening in the network, there is a clear call to action for CSPs to invest in vertical expertise and guide their enterprise customers with more 5G education.”