4G now counted among ‘ideal phone features’ by 75% of consumers, survey finds

It worked. 4G has been marketed so well by wireless carriers and vendors that people want it even if they don’t quite know why. A recent survey conducted by market research and intelligence firm In-Stat found that 75% of respondents listed 4G as one of the features their ideal phone would include. When asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, most respondents were left stymied. “Although 4G is an important feature for handset buyers, there is a lot of confusion surrounding 4G,” In-Stat analyst Greg Potter said in a statement. Read on for more.

Potter continued, “When survey respondents were asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, the majority of the respondents either didn’t know or felt they were the same across carriers.” A new bill presented to the U.S. Senate earlier this month suggests that wireless carriers should be forced to clarify what kind of speeds their 4G networks afford in marketing and advertising, but it is not expected to be made law.

The survey of 1,208 consumers was part of the In-Stat’s Next-Generation Phones: Consumer Insights Drive Future Handset Designs report, which also found that 36% of consumers plan to stay loyal to their current smartphone operating system compared to just 23% last year. The firm also found that 20% of T-Mobile subscribers plan to switch carriers in the next 12 months.

Tags: 4G, 4G LTE, Advertising, In-Stat, LTE, Marketing, Smartphones, survey, WiMAX

Zach Epstein