UAE 5G users spend more time on cloud gaming, live video - and less time using wi-fi

Dubai: How’s 5G changing you in the UAE? By the looks of it, pretty fast. 

Going by an Ericsson survey, the chances are that 5G-enabled users are spending up to three hours watching live video streams than those on 4G networks. Not just that, around 20 per cent of 5G subscribers have reduced their wi-fi exposure after upgrading to the super-fast network. They are also spending more time – on average, two hours more – per week on cloud gaming and an hour more on AR (augmented reality) apps.

Some of the higher adoption rates could do with circumstances –“COVID-19 lockdowns and movement restrictions mean that the vast majority of 5G early adopters’ regular experiences with the technology have been indoors,” the Ericsson report notes. “As a result, early adopters indicate that indoor coverage is two times more important than speed or battery life in delivering satisfactory 5G experiences.”

5G networks are being rolled out in the UAE and will touch peak connectivity by 2025. There are a growing number of early adapters to the latest telecom connectivity.

The numbers could have been higher if not for 24 per cent of smartphone users in the UAE having a 5G-enabled smartphone, but are still on a 4G plan. The findings are gleaned from the Five Ways to a Better 5G report, billed as the “largest global 5G consumer study to date”.

It covers consumer sentiment and perception in 26 markets, including in the UAE. The study methodology is representative of 1.3 billion smartphone users, including 220 million 5G subscribers.

Jasmeet Singh Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab at Ericsson Research, said: “So far, analyses of 5G network experiences have mostly focused on 5G speeds and availability based on independent network measurements. But it is equally important to understand how 5G early adopters perceive that experience.”