Ericsson says consumers want mobile data tariffs to be less rubbish

Ericsson’s ConsumerLab asked a bunch of smartphone users what they want from their operators as we move into the 5G era; here’s what they said.

The findings have been condensed into six ‘calls to action’ for operators, which Ericsson will result in them stampeding to Stockholm to by lots of shiny 5G kit and associated services. The report seems to be more of an attempt to offer some top tips to operators based on some consumer feedback, which Ericsson reckons represents 800 million consumers across Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the UK and the US.

So, without further ado, here they are.

“Our latest study does not look at a consumer view on 5G in isolation, but rather uncovers unmet consumer needs that must be fulfilled by operators on the way to 5G,” said Jasmeet Sethi, Senior Advisor, Ericsson Consumer & Industry Lab. “From offering an effortless buying experience to focusing on real network performance, consumers are demanding changes they would like to see already made today.”

The calls to action could be further condensed into one simple request: make tariffs less rubbish. As ever unlimited data would be nice but there will always be people who don’t use much mobile data and would like a cheaper alternative. Ericsson has named the report ‘Towards a 5G consumer future’ but it’s hard to see what any of it has to do with 5G. But don’t worry, this is definitely the last time anyone will shamelessly shoehorn 5G onto an announcement this year. Definitely.