A recent survey found that 64 per cent of Irish people feel they do not know enough about 5G and its potential benefits.
Deloitte Ireland’s latest Digital Trends Survey on Attitudes towards 5G found Ireland compares favourably in terms of rollout of the technology.
However, only five per cent of respondents were using 5G at the time of the survey.
Key findings of the survey include the following:
- Only five per cent of respondents were using 5G at the time of the survey.
- 64 per cent say they do not yet know enough about 5G and the benefits it brings.
- Over 50 per cent agree that 5G brings greater connectivity.
- 20 per cent believe there are health risks associated with 5G.
Misinformation
Commenting on the survey, John Kehoe, audit partner with Deloitte, said: “Misinformation is always a barrier to technological progress. As part of our survey, 20 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that there are health risks associated with 5G and another 25 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed.
“That is a worryingly high number and is further exacerbated by the fact that based on our survey, a greater proportion of young people aged 18-24 believe there are health risks (27 per cent) compared to 20 per cent overall and seven per cent of those aged 65-75.
“There needs to be a concerted effort to promote the benefits of 5G to the general consumer. Overall however, 64 per cent of respondents agreed that they didn’t know enough about 5G in general.”
Switch to 5G
Only five per cent of respondents are currently using 5G, while 24 per cent would switch as soon as it is available.
This compares favourably with the UK, where only two per cent of respondents claim to currently use 5G. Nearly half of all 5G users are in the Dublin area and are in the under-35 age category, which is somewhat unsurprising.
At a time when all three of the main operators are actively promoting 5G Deloitte said they expect the competitive landscape to heat up.
