Almost half of Thai mobile users want to subscribe to a 5G service next year, according to the latest survey by Swedish telecom equipment firm Ericsson.
According to the Ericsson ConsumerLab report titled "5G: The Next Wave", 47% of Thai users intend to sign up for a subscription for 5G mobile service in 2023.
"5G has moved beyond the early adopter stage to mass adoption, and we are seeing the next wave of users demanding 5G options," Igor Maurell, head of Ericsson Thailand, said at the report launch.
The survey gauged the opinions of 49,000 consumers in 37 countries, including Thailand, making it the largest global 5G-related consumer survey in the industry.
The report addresses the impact 5G had on early adopter consumers since launching in various countries, as well as gauging the intention of potential subscribers to take up the technology, alongside their related expectations.
The survey found 90% of existing 5G users in Thailand say that despite rising costs, they are not willing to go back to 4G, while 1.5 times of potential 5G users, compared with current users, see network coverage as the most important reason to sign up for 5G services.
According to the report, 92% of 5G early adopters in Thailand want more innovative services and devices.
An increase in 5G availability for current users will see a doubling of the share of users who are satisfied with their network experience in Thailand, said the report.
A total of 52% of 4G users in Thailand said they will use more augmented reality (AR) applications when they sign up for 5G.
Thai 5G users' specific needs include prioritised connectivity, dynamic performance boosts, speed-based 5G plans, and 5G-rich app bundles.
Compared with 4G users, 5G users spend an average of an hour a week more on metaverse-related services, such as gaming in virtual worlds and AR.
"In Thailand, we see 1.3 times more 5G users engage in metaverse activities on a weekly basis than 4G users," said Mr Maurell.
The report found that globally, half of 5G consumers who already use extended-reality (XR) related services believe AR apps will move from smartphones to XR headsets within two years.
"5G is emerging as an important enabler for early adopters to embrace metaverse-related services, such as 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 doubled over the past two years, compared with 4G users," he said.
According to the report, at least 30% of global smartphone users intend to take up a 5G subscription within the next year.
The report also highlighted six key 5G trends.
First, 5G adoption will be resilient against the effects of inflation. At least 510 million consumers across 37 markets are likely to adopt 5G services in 2023, the report found.
Second, the next wave of 5G users have high expectations for performance, especially network coverage. Third, perceived 5G availability is emerging as the new satisfaction benchmark among consumers.
The fourth trend will see 5G increase usage of enhanced video and AR. Fifth, 5G monetisation models are expected to evolve. Some 60% of consumers expect 5G offerings to move beyond data volume and speeds to on-demand tailored network capabilities for specific needs. The final trend is 5G paving the metaverse path. The report expects two more hours of video content to be consumed every week on mobile devices, with 1.5 hours on AR/VR glasses by 2025.