Brits still see 'no need' to upgrade to 4G according to Ofcom report
Ofcom research has revealed that many Brits see no need to upgrade to 4G.
Just under a quarter (22 per cent) of smartphone users claimed that they had no intention of signing up to 4G services as they remained unsure of the benefits of 4G and had been put off by the jargon.
Almost two-thirds of smartphone users said they were unsure about upgrading, adding they were unlikely to do so this year.
Jessica Ekholm from technology analyst house Gartner commented: "4G is new and doesn't mean much to consumers. Any technology is intangible - people ask: 'What does it mean to me?' At the moment it's acronym soup. It needs to go viral. It needs people's friends and family to say '4G is fantastic'."
Ofcom's 2013 Communications Market Report uncovered that the binding nature of mobile contacts had left those willing to sign up to the new service unable to, with three in 10 keen to upgrade to 4G but couldn't due to being tied into an existing contract.
The report comes as O2 announces it is to launch 4G service in August, challenging current 4G operator EE. Vodafone and 3 are expected to launch 4G later in the year.
Despite the slow start, Matthew Howett of independent consultancy firm Ovum, remarked: "Eventually we will all be using 4G. It's like moving from dial-up to broadband."