According to a survey by Ericsson, users of 5G are more interested in immersive technology than their 4G counterparts. Compared to 4G users, 5G users spend an hour more per week on platforms and services related to the metaverse. The use of the metaverse is anticipated to increase in line with the estimated reach of 5G technology, which is anticipated to reach 510 million customers this year.
The study used tracking data from Ericsson starting in 2019 and polled 49,000 consumers in 37 countries. It is claimed to reflect the views of 1.7 billion users globally. The Swedish telecom behemoth Ericson deals with the implications of powerful data transmission technology that will probably impact the reception of extended reality and metaverse technology.
Six out of ten 5G users globally think this technology is “essential” for the metaverse to materialize to its full potential. According to the study, carriers can gain by bundling their metaverse applications with 5G plans. Spanish carrier Telefonica and Japanese carrier NTT Docomo are already preparing to provide users with metaverse experiences in the future.
For the company, the survey’s findings were unexpected. Jasmeet Singh Sethi, head of Ericsson Consumerlab, commented on this by stating that it is worth noting that 5G is emerging as a crucial component for early adopters to embrace metaverse-related services, such as socializing, playing, and purchasing digital goods in interactive 3D virtual gaming platforms.
She added that 5G users had increased their time spent using augmented reality apps by two in the last two years.
5G users have one common understanding: that the metaverse will ‘undoubtedly’ shift to other, more engaging platforms. According to the survey, half of 5G users using metaverse and extended reality apps predict that these services will move to XR (extended reality) headsets in the next two years.