FEATURE Build it and they will embrace it Consumers are preparing for 5G connectivity in the home and on the go Kevin Westcott, Jeff Loucks, Dan Littmann, Phil Wilson, Shashank Srivastava, and David Ciampa THE DELOITTE CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA only 5 percent have never heard of it. The challenge for telecommunications providers and device vendors is to turn consumer awareness into adoption. Theres certainly a market for the speed and reliability that 5G promises: Nearly half of consumers, and 62 percent of Gen Z, say they would find a wireless connection as fast as fiber broadband “very” or “extremely” valuable. The advent of 5G could convince consumers to upgrade their smartphones. The first 5G-compatible smartphones hit the market in 2019, with more releases planned for 2020. As 5G coverage expands, demand for 5G smartphones will grow: Twenty-eight percent of consumers (and about 40 percent of Gen Z and millennials) said they would be “very likely” to buy a compatible smartphone when service is available in their area. Given smartphones near ubiquity among US consumersclose to 90 percent either own or use a smartphone, and 52 percent of those consumers spend more than two hours on it dailythese upgrades could substantially boost sales. The craving for fast connectivity does not end with mobile broadbandconsumers are also ready for better home internet. Our survey shows that the average household has 11 connected devices, including seven different smart screens on which to view content. Twenty-eight percent of consumers are using smart home devices such as connected thermostats, cameras, and lighting. People who have multiple smart home devices tend to spend more on home internet to increase bandwidth. Whether their connected devices are for entertainment, control, or security, consumers want better home internet for all of them. Even as consumers welcome more connected devices and online services into their lives and homes, theyve become more aware of how their personal data is being collected and sold, and they want more control. Over 90 percent say they should be able to see and delete data that companies collect about them. They also want compensation: Eighty-four percent of consumers feel they should be paid by companies that profit from their data. In short, many consumers want a “new data deal.” Consumers are ready for better mobile connectivity, and smartphones that can take advantage of it. Theyre ready for better home internet to manage the growing number of connected devices competing for bandwidth. They are demanding more control over the data they create when they use all of these devices and online services. In what follows, we will show how smartphone manufacturers, mobile carriers, and applications providers can capitalize on consumers desire for new connections and capabilities. With demand for bandwidth rising, consumers are eager for 5G connectivity for both smartphones and connected home devices. But our new survey suggests that people are concerned about costand data privacy. Build it and they will embrace it: Consumers are preparing for 5G connectivity in the home and on the go 23 Mobile connectivity: Performance and price matter most In recent years, telecom operators have launched a flurry of plans, bundled offerings, and other value- added servicesand our data shows that consumers see value in these offerings. But what they value most is simpler: a good connection and a good price. The CMT survey found that network performance and pricing are the two qualities that consumers like the most about their carrier (figure 1), suggesting that the huge investments carriers have made in their network infrastructure are yielding results. We also found that consumers are satisfied with their operators. In fact, 30 percent of CMT survey respondents said that there is nothing that they particularly dislike about their carrier. These findings dont mean that carriers can afford complacency. Forty-three percent of consumers face issues when watching videos on their smartphones; 41 percent feel that their mobile data ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND MOBILE TRENDS This first edition of the Connectivity and Mobile Trends Survey, conducted by Deloittes Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice, was fielded by an independent research firm in September 2019. It employed an online methodology among 2,003 US consumers. 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