According to a survey conducted by Accenture, customers in emerging markets are more open to paying a premium rate for 4G services than those in developed markets.
The consumer survey covered 31,000 mobile users across 26 countries, with interesting results. One major finding was that the desire for faster mobile internet connections is consistent internationally – almost two thirds of those surveyed claimed that they would be willing to pay a premium in exchange for data speeds ten times faster than their current connection.
This willingness was shown to be stronger in emerging markets, with a 76% average of consumers happy to pay a premium for 4G services. The figure was as high as 83% in some markets, including Russia and Brazil. By contrast, consumers were significantly less open to paying more in mature markets, with a substantially lower 57% average agreeing to a premium for 4G.
The speed of mobile internet was named the key differentiating factor between service providers, while quality of service was deemed the most important aspect of the network by 96% of respondents.