Metaverse among 6 key consumer trends driving 5G adoption in Oman

Muscat: 5G adoption paves the way for the metaverse of the future, according to the new 5G: The Next Wave report from Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) ConsumerLab.

The report estimates that consumer 5G adoption will be inflation-resistant as 32 percent of users in Oman intend to upgrade to 5G subscriptions in the next 12 months. Around 9 out of 10 existing 5G users in Oman say that despite rising costs, they are not willing to switch back to 4G. As Omani consumers’ intention for 5G upgrade remains strong, service providers need to do more to increase interest in 5G.

The second consumer trend is about motivating 5G adoption by offering innovative services to early adopters. Oman 5G adoption today is driven by early technology adopters, as only 8 percent use 5G today. When 5G penetration reaches about 15 percent, the next wave of users will emerge. These are mainstream technology users who are less forgiving, value conscious and demanding. Findings show that 1 in 4 potential 5G users see higher speed as the main reason for signing up for 5G and 4 times as many 5G early adopters compared to potential subscribers identify innovative applications and services as the main reason for signing up.

The third trend highlights the gap between 5G population coverage and consumer perception of 5G availability. While Oman has a 5G population coverage of 50 percent, only 32 percent of 5G users experience being connected to 5G more than 50 percent of the time. Of those with a high perception of 5G availability, 77 percent say they are satisfied with 5G.

Abdullah Al-Balushi, Country Manager of Ericsson Oman says: “This is our largest 5G study to date representing 1.7 billion consumers globally and three million consumers in Oman including 100 thousand 5G users. Through our research we have highlighted six key trends driving the next wave of 5G in Oman and implications for service providers to unlock the true potential of this market. Providers that quickly and proactively develop their consumer proposition are likely to be bigger winners.”

The fourth trend highlighted in the report expects 5G to increase the use of cloud gaming and AR/VR. 5G consumers have increased service usage over the past two years. There are three times as many 5G users in 2022 compared to 2020, and they typically engage with more than three services compared to 2020. With 5G pushing the adoption of cloud gaming and AR, the demand for faster connection throughput will be key to the overall immersive user experience.

The report further estimates that 5G revenue models are expected to evolve as consumers want tailored network features for specific needs in 5G plans. In addition, 5G early adopters are prioritizing rich experiences in 5G data plans as 93 percent of 5G early adopters in Oman consider innovative 5G experiences as important inclusions in their mobile broadband plans.

Finally, the report predicts that 5G adoption will pave the way for the metaverse. The use of early metaverse apps/services is growing along with 5G uptake, and 5G early adopters spend an average of 3.5 hours more per week on metaverse-related services than 4G users. In Oman, 1.5 times more 5G early adopters engage in metaverse activities on a weekly basis than 4G users, and 5 in 10 of 4G users say they will begin or increase their use of real-world AR applications once they have signed up for 5G.

Furthermore, early 5G adopters with current experience with XR will set the pace for metaverse adoption. The report reveals that 1.6 times more 5G users than 4G users believe that AR apps will move from smartphones to headsets within 2 years, and 92 percent of existing iPhone users on the 5G network are interested in purchasing a lightweight reality headset. Next generation connectivity will be important to the metaverse, there are other aspects of the metaverse ecosystem that can be explored or participated in by mobile service providers.