Ericsson study reveals 5G users more satisfied than 4G at major events

A recent study by Ericsson highlights the superior user experience provided by 5G networks during major events in 2024, revealing that 5G users reported 20% higher satisfaction compared to their 4G counterparts. This year marked a pivotal moment for 5G, as several significant European events coincided with a strategic rollout of 5G infrastructure by telecom operators, aimed at meeting the increasing demand for mobile connectivity.

Key events, including the global sporting event in Paris, the European Football Championship, and Taylor Swift's Eras concerts, served as real-world testing grounds for 5G’s capabilities. Data from these events indicated that the quality of connectivity and mobile app performance greatly influenced consumer perception, proving to be ten times more impactful than network speeds alone.

The findings from Ericsson ConsumerLab, which surveyed attendees representing the 14 million fans at these events, showed that two out of three 5G users felt their connectivity expectations were met or exceeded. Notably, eventgoers expressed a willingness to pay up to an additional 15% on top of ticket prices for guaranteed seamless connectivity.

Jasmeet Sethi, Head of ConsumerLab at Ericsson, stated: "This study clearly shows that the enhanced experiences provided by 5G drive greater satisfaction. While network speed is important, our findings reveal that user satisfaction is more influenced by the consistency and quality of app performance. Poor experiences can impact customer loyalty, and these results underline that users are willing to pay more for guaranteed service quality. With 5G standalone, operators have a significant opportunity to meet rising user expectations and offer premium services to consumers seeking assured quality."

The study also highlighted that during peak usage times, users faced network dropouts and inconsistent app experiences, which were more detrimental to their perception than slow speeds. Given the option to enhance their connectivity, eventgoers were keen to pay for guaranteed service improvements.

Jenny Lindqvist, Head of Market Area Europe and Latin America, added: "5G is already transforming consumer experiences at major events, allowing more users to live stream and share their moments. In the future, differentiated connectivity will enable operators to cater to individual user needs through guaranteed premium services, leading to higher customer satisfaction and new revenue opportunities."

The performance of 5G networks at these events successfully managed the increased upload traffic, driven largely by real-time live streaming and content sharing. For instance, attendees at Taylor Swift's concerts consumed an average of 5.4 TB of data each night—equivalent to sharing over 1.7 million images on social media or downloading 94,000 hours of music.

Tanja Richter, Managing Director Technology & Network Director at Vodafone Germany, noted, "Mobile phones are constantly in use at concerts and festivals. Attendees share high-resolution videos and stories on social media, placing significant demands on the mobile network. We take major events into account in our network planning, often activating additional LTE and 5G antennas on site to manage the high data volumes reliably."

Similarly, Anne Flore Roger, Technical Director of Mobile Network at Orange, remarked on the unprecedented traffic levels during the global sporting event in Paris. "To accommodate the anticipated 11 million attendees, we deployed numerous temporary mobile sites powered by 5G, which handled 25% of the total traffic. Without 5G, we could not have met the connectivity needs of users at this scale."

In addition to the ConsumerLab study, Ericsson published a complementary technology paper exploring the advancements in connectivity that facilitated these improvements. The paper outlines the proactive measures operators took, starting preparations over a year in advance to handle expected traffic spikes. Key strategies included capacity expansions focusing on 5G, particularly leveraging mid-band TDD spectrum combined with Massive MIMO technology, resulting in significant enhancements for both 4G and 5G users. At the global sporting event in Paris, 5G users experienced average throughputs up to six times higher than those on 4G under regular conditions, and four times higher during peak times, with mid-band 5G TDD offering a 3.5-fold improvement in energy efficiency per gigabyte compared to 4G.

In summary, the Ericsson study underscores the transformative impact of 5G technology, particularly in high-demand environments, and highlights the potential for operators to meet growing consumer expectations through enhanced service offerings.