EE and BT Boss Predicts Initial Demand for 5G will be Muted

EE and BT boss predicts initial demand for 5G will be muted, citing price and consumer caution as the service is rolled out.

19:09 18 March 2019

EE and BT consumer chief executive Marc Allera predicts that initial demand for 5G will be muted. EE is set to launch the technology in Cardiff, Belfast, London, Edinburgh and other 12 UK cities later this year. It has announced exclusive launch partnerships with CPE Pro 5G home router, Huawei Mate X 5G phone and HTC Mobile Smart Hub, among others.

 

Allera said: “It’s very much going to be about early adopters, first and foremost. You’ve seen that the prices of these [5G-compatible] devices are very much at the upper end, particularly the foldable ones.

 

“But early adopters bring other consumers into the market, they set the tone, they’re the people talking to their friends and they’re very networked individuals – and it’s important that they are excited about it. I think there’s enough there in terms of device range. And there will certainly be enough in terms of network coverage as we start rolling out the service.

 

“It’s enough to get us started. It won’t be the majority of what we sell in the first year, but it will accelerate very rapidly from there – I’m sure about that.”