HarrisX And T-Mobile Launch 5G Consumer Index

WASHINGTON and BELLEVUE, Wash., Jan. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 5G is expected to transform the world we live in, and while there's a ton of excitement around the possibilities of the new technology, there's also a lot of noise in the industry. T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) wants to know what consumers really think about 5G, what they're excited for and worried about… and what they expect. So the Un-carrier partnered with one of the most reputable research firms on the planet, HarrisX, to cut through the noise to create the HarrisX/T-Mobile 5G Consumer Index.

"We became the Un-carrier by listening to our customers, and that's not going to change," said John Legere, Chief Executive Officer at T-Mobile. "While the other guys are talking about 'their' 5G networks and what 'they' will do with them, we're asking people what THEY want! That is exactly why we've partnered with HarrisX here… because listening is at the core of who we are at T-Mobile!"

The study – driven by T-Mobile and conducted by HarrisX – is planned to be produced quarterly, and today the companies unveiled results from the inaugural report. It found more than half of Americans are already aware of 5G; they're excited about new innovations 5G will bring; and they believe 5G will create new jobs. The study also found a large majority of Americans expect 5G to impact their personal lives, rural communities, the economy, business and government.

"Consumer sentiment around tech innovation and 5G in particular is widely positive, with big expectations for impact on job creation, business, and various facets of people's personal lives like healthcare management in the near future," said Dritan Nesho, chief researcher and CEO of HarrisX. "Expectations are high, with over 2 in 3 Americans believing 5G will become a reality by 2020, which will require significant investment by the public and private sector to get there."

In the inaugural study's findings, more than half (57 percent) of Americans said they are aware of 5G and, of those who are aware, most (90 percent) believe 5G will be better than 4G/LTE. 64 percent of Americans who are aware expect 5G to be "widely available" before 2020, and respondents find improvements like reliability (93 percent), speed (92 percent), and wider coverage (91 percent) to be the most appealing aspects of 5G. 

Most (61 percent) believe that 5G will be easy for consumers to adopt while 30 percent of consumers believe that the cost of upgrading and difficulty in learning how to use a new technology will make 5G difficult to adopt. One in three Americans view the United States as the global leader in 5G, with 28 percent undecided, and the rest divided among an array of other countries. 

The study also found that Americans almost universally agree (94 percent) that it is critical for the U.S to invest in technological innovation.  Tech innovation is believed to have widespread benefits beyond the technology industry- both as a job creator and also having potential to address issues related to emergency services, manufacturing, transportation, and education. Two out of three respondents believe that technology innovation creates jobs. 92 percent of respondents agreed that tech innovation creates new STEM education opportunities; 91 percent agreed that it creates new employment opportunities; and 91 percent agreed that it improves the quality of education.

The importance of investing in technology innovation is agreed upon across party lines: 94 percent of Republicans and 94 percent of Democrats believe that it's important to invest in technology innovation.  Men (63 percent) and older Americans (59 percent of those 55+) were more likely to say that it's "very" important to invest in technology innovation. 

The inaugural "HarrisX/T-Mobile 5G Consumer Index" was conducted by the HarrisX research company between December 7-12, 2018, surveying the opinions of over 5,000 internet-connected U.S. adults and offering a representative sample of the nation as well as representative samples in 23 U.S. markets. Findings will live at 5GConsumerIndex.com with planned quarterly updates on an ongoing basis by the two companies.

About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading survey research company that specializes in online polling and data collection, and focuses on the understanding of internet-connected and smartphone consumers. The company has a thirteen-year history assessing public opinion and behavior in the telecom, media, and personal technology industries through syndicated and custom research services. HarrisX runs the Mobile Insights and Total Communication Surveys, the largest syndicated consumer insights trackers in the U.S. for the TMT space, which include over 60,000 monthly respondents, and the Telephia metering application, which captures behavioral data. HarrisX was acquired from Nielsen in 2017 by The Stagwell Group, a leading marketing sciences and communications holding group, and is now affiliated with The Harris Poll. For more information please visit http://www.harrisx.com.

HarrisX Press Inquiries: [email protected]

About T-Mobile US, Inc.
As America's Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS)  is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. Our advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences to 77.2 million customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Washington, T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. For more information, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

SOURCE HarrisX; T-Mobile

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