Due to COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic GSMA may have over estimated its projections of 5G improved users’ upgrade intentions in Europe and Japan ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics. But GSMA canceled this year’s MWC Barcelona trade show which would have been 5G’s major coming-out party in Europe.
GSMA now believes that the Tokyo Olympics is also threatened with cancellation. This could dampen customers buying desires as major global trade and corporate gatherings across the world are being shut down or postponed out of “an abundance of caution.” due to the pandemic.
Presently, China leads the U.S. by as much as twice the rates of ownership for smart TVs, smart speakers, smart home security cameras, and other types of smart devices ranging from security to lighting and energy controllers. In European countries adoption of 5G network for the smart home is the lowest.
But it’s not US. that’s leading instead, that role of leading in 5G is going to China. Chinese companies are building the networks, and Chinese people will be the first to connect to them en masse. “there will be one billion users of 5G by 2023, half of whom will be in China Market”, analyst CCS Insight says.
GSMA also expects that while TVs currently lead all other “smart” categories in consumer adoption. Smart speakers is going to be more widely used in 2020, and “be at the center of a smart home revolution,” led by Amazon and Google products.
GSMA notes that, actual uses of the speakers “remain rudimentary,”, or just to play music. All in all a nice bright spot in an otherwise bleak environment of a global pandemic.
Source: China leads in 5G and smart device interest, followed by the U.S. VENTUREBEAT
