The adoption of 5G will take time to gather momentum from a relatively slow start, says market intelligence firm IDC.
This prediction was made by IDC associate vice president for devices Francisco Jeronimo, one of a number of analysts at IDC who spoke about 5G trends at a brunch hosted by the research company in El Principle del Eixample, Barcelona.
Around 200 people attended the event, where Jeronimo revealed IDC estimates that 163 million 5G devices will be shipped in the EMEA region between 2019 and 2023. This is low in comparison to 4G, he said.
“We don’t believe there will be much of a rush for 5G devices; it will take time,” said Jeronimo. “This number is relatively low compared to what we saw with previous networks such as 4G.”
He did, however, say that he expects 5G to provide a different experience for users as foldable handsets come into the market.
“5G will definitely disrupt the user experience, which is the most important thing for users,” said Jeronimo. “We need different hardware as we’re entering the year of the foldable phone.”
4G Prospects
Also addressing those at the talk was IDC associate VP for mobility research John Delaney, who says that despite the 5G push, 4G should not be sidelined.
“It feels like it is a dangerous marketing message to downplay 4G, as this will still have a lot to offer,” said Delaney. “The problem the industry has to wrestle with is how it sells 5G to consumers.”
