New Survey Finds Most UK Respondents Not Ready to Spend on 4G Mobile

The results from 749 respondents to ISPreview.co.uk’s latest reader poll found that just 15.3% would currently be willing to pay extra for a faster 4G based Mobile Broadband service, while the rest either said “no” (48%) or were simply undecided (36.5%). Mobile operator EE will launch the first national UK 4G service before the end of this month.

The study similarly revealed that 77.7% were already making use of an existing 3G mobile connection to surf the internet via a Smartphone, USB Dongle (Modem) or similar kit. On top of that 82.2% claimed to already be familiar with the forthcoming 4G technology, which is intended to deliver even faster mobile internet speeds and lower latency connections.

Do you use a MobileBroadband (3G) service (Internet access via Smartphones or USB Modems etc.)?
Yes – 77.7%
No – 22.2%

Are you familiar with the future superfast 4G (LTE) service?
Yes – 82.2%
No – 17.7%

Would you pay extra for faster 4G MobileBroadband?
No – 48%
Maybe – 36.5%
Yes – 15.3%

Many appear to remain sceptical about whether or not 4G will be worth the money, which is understandable because the service has yet to launch and most consumers will need to see the benefits in action before choosing whether or not to make the jump. Similarly it’s often better to wait for more competition to emerge, which is likely to occur after Ofcom’s auction of the 4G-friendly 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands in early 2013.

Until next year there will only be one operator (EE) delivering 4G via just the 1800MHz band. Many of the early handsets are thus predicted to be thirsty for your phones battery life, won’t necessarily offer the best performance and could suffer due to only limited coverage.

This month’s new survey questions how easy the sign-up process was when you joined your current ISP? Vote Here.