The UAE has the highest share of population that is excited about 5G across every age bracket, of which 70% would switch providers for convergent 5G services and unified billing, according to a survey conducted by Oliver Wyman.
The survey consisted of responses from 6,020 consumers in France, Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The replies were collected in October, when countries were mostly going through second waves of virus infections and accompanying measures to restrict activities and movement. According to the survey, the crisis has made consumers more reliant on telecom services, in particular as working from home has become a new standard.
Rogerio Dienes, Head of the Communications, Media and Technology Practice at Oliver Wyman, said: “The UAE has for long positioned itself as one of the most progressive and innovative countries in the world when it comes to technology and connectivity and was the first Arab nation to launch 5G. As such, coverage is a key development criterion for the UAE digital society vision – empowering new services for consumers, enterprises and society is crucial.”
With exponential gains in both speed and capacity, nearly half of the UAE youth said they were excited or very excited about the opportunities presented by 5G in the country, the largest expression of interest across all countries and age groups surveyed. The technology will enable the current and upcoming generations to have access to a variety of emerging digital technologies from Connected Factories to Industry 4.0 initiatives and Connected Vehicles. The survey also pointed to faster home broadband speed and unlimited mobile data among the top factors that could drive increased willingness to pay in telecom customers internationally.
As the UAE prepares to build out and densify its next-generation mobile networks, it is seeking to extend 5G connectivity to millions of consumers. UAE based telecommunications services providers such as Etisalat have since been instrumental in securing the country’s reputation as a leading 5G innovator, with the provider switching to a 5G network in May 2019.
Rogerio added: “The 40th edition of GITEX Technology Week in Dubai will showcase the latest innovations from the world’s leading 5G players and will give consumers a preview of a digital future made possible by 5G technologies.”
