Americans and Europeans have all seen enough television commercials to know what 4G is, right? And LTE? Everyone can define that, right? Apparently not, according to a new report from Analysys Mason.
The research firm surveyed cell-phone owners in the U.S. and six European countries to find that more than one-quarter (28 percent) of iPhone users believe they are using a 4G-capable handset. Of course, no iPhone is 4G-capable up to this point. Overall, more than 6 percent of mobile users think they have a 4G phone, when in reality, with 4G phones just rolling out in most locations, the number isn't nearly that high. Furthermore, the study revealed that more than half of consumers don't understand mobile network generations or are unsure of whether their device is 2G, 3G or 4G.
Analysys Mason blames, in part, misleading marketing as to what exactly constitutes 4G. The firm is calling on service providers to focus their marketing on the differentiating factors of the new access technology from an enablement point of view rather than solely from a technical one. The report concludes that operators will continue to face a significant challenge when it comes to marketing and selling handset-based 4G services to consumers.
The figure below shows handset owners' understanding of their mobile network generation, by handset type.
