KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer 5G readiness is high in Malaysia, with 43 per cent of customers planning to sign up for a 5G subscription by 2023 and 25 per cent currently owning a 5G-ready device.
According to Ericsson's ConsumerLab 5G 'The Next Wave' report, this shows a strong inclination towards 5G adoption, and the mobile technology company expects about four million to sign up for a 5G subscription in 2023.
Ericsson's ConsumerLab report highlighted new innovative applications and services as the key factor in the 5G adoption rate.
While one in every five early adopters expects innovative applications, almost twice as many 5G potential users are looking for strong network coverage.
The report also showed that 87 per cent of the 5G users in Malaysia consider innovative 5G experiences to be an essential inclusion in their mobile broadband plans.
"Mobile service providers need to reflect consumer demands from 5G offerings to move from best effort to improved quality of experience and enhanced content experiences," it said.
Ericsson's new ConsumerLab 5G report is the largest piece of consumer 5G research to date.
The report outlines the current status of 5G uptake worldwide, the consumer behaviour of 5G users, and the progress towards new data-driven technologies, including the metaverse.
More than 49,000 consumers in 37 countries were interviewed in the research, making it the largest global 5G-related consumer survey in the industry to date and the largest consumer survey conducted by Ericsson on any topic.
The survey scope collates opinions of about 1.7 billion global consumers, including 430 million 5G subscribers worldwide.
Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab Jasmeet Singh Sethi said the research scale gives people an authentic insight into consumers' views and attitudes to 5G.
Sethi said the report shows that the next wave of potential 5G users has different expectations of the technology compared to early adopters.
"Overall, consumers see engaging with 5G as an essential part of their future lifestyles," he said.
Sethi said it is interesting to note that 5G is emerging as an important enabler for early adopters to embrace metaverse-related services.
"This includes socialising, playing and buying digital items in interactive 3D virtual gaming platforms.
"The amount of time spent on augmented reality apps by 5G users has also doubled over the past two years, compared to 4G users," he added.