Global: What proportion of consumers have 5G-ready phones and data plans?

Around half of global consumers agree that 5G will be beneficial to them in multiple ways. However, when it comes to being ready to use the technology, the share drops to 40% globally.

In a recent YouGov survey, across 18 global markets, we ask consumers if they have a cell phone and data plan that can be used to access a 5G network. Of all the markets surveyed, UAE registers the highest share of those that do (54%), followed by China at 51%.

North American markets are more likely than global consumers to say they are all set for 5G – US (46%), Canada (43%) and Mexico (40%). On the flipside, the US registers 23% of consumers who say they do not have 5G compatible phones. The share increases slightly to over a quarter of Canadians (28%).

While Spain (46%), Poland (41%) and Denmark (40%) register a higher share of consumers in agreement, the figure drops for the rest of the European countries in this survey. Many French and Germans are not ready for 5G. Nearly half of consumers in France (47%), followed by slightly fewer consumers in Germany (42%) say they are not equipped with the right devices or plans to use the new networks.

Great Britain registers slightly over a third of consumers (33%) who say they are ready to start using 5G but a higher proportion (38%) says they are not prepared. The situation is similar in the APAC region with comparable proportions of consumers in Hong Kong (38%), Australia (36%) and India (35%) indicating that they don’t have 5G compatible devices or data plans.

Globally, there isn’t too much of a difference between men and women who agree with the statement (40% vs. 39%) - and that’s the case in major markets like Britain and the US too.

Global consumers aged 55 and above indicate they are least prepared for 5G (34% agree and 37% disagree) while over two in five 25-34-year-olds (45%) are 5G-ready, the highest among all age groups. In the US, consumers aged between 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 are most likely to be equipped with 5G compatible devices and plans (51% and 50% respectively). Those over 55 continue to register the lowest proportion of consumers who are ready for next-gen networks.

Get quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences using YouGov RealTime Omnibus

To receive monthly insights about the telecommunications sector register here.

To read YouGov’s latest intelligence on the telco industry explore here.

Methodology: The data is based on the interviews of adults aged 18 and over in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 520 and 2014 for each market. All interviews were conducted online in April 2022. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples.