4G Considered an Ideal Feature by Most Smartphone Users [75% of Mobile Users Want 4G as a Feature, Even if Many Don't Know What it Means]

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Do you need 4G on your smartphone or tablet? We assume you’re aware what 4G means, or whether it actually exists in existing mobile networks as defined. According to a study, three quarters of mobile users think 4G is an important smartphone feature.

By definition, current carrier standards like HSPA+ and LTE don’t actually fall under the formal definition of 4G, and are considered pre-4G technologies. However, carrier marketing seems to have been so pervasive that a majority of mobile users want to have 4G on their handsets, even though many don’t actually know what 4G entails.

In a study done by research firm In-Stat among 1,208 customers entitled Next-Generation Phones: Consumer Insights Drive Future Handset Designs, the analysts found that 75% of the respondents have listed 4G as among the ideal features they want their next smartphone purchase to have. However, when asked which carrier they think offered the best speeds, most were not able to answer. Analyst Greg Potter says that there is confusion among customers when it comes to 4G.

When survey respondents were asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, the majority of the respondents either didn’t know or felt they were the same across carriers.

Potter cited how a pending Senate bill wants carriers to explain the exact technologies and speeds they offer, although this is not expected to be passed as law anytime soon. In the meantime, “4G” remains to be a marketing term, given that the International Telecommuication Union (ITU) requirements consider these technologies as 4G candidates, but not actually 4G certified.

Apart from the findings on user preference for 4G, the study has determined that 36% of respondents plan to stick with their current smartphone platform. Likewise, 20% of T-Mobile subscribers plan to switch networks within the next year.

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