New research has found that 12 per cent of UK smartphone users would switch to a 5G network as soon as it becomes available.

The research comes from accounting firm Deloitte as part of the UK section of its 2018 Mobile Consumer Survey, which asked 4,150 UK respondents aged 16-75 about their mobile phone habits.

Of these, 19 per cent of smartphone users said they would switch to a 5G network if they started hearing good things about it.

According to Deloitte’s TMT Predictions 2019 report, 5G smartphone shipments in the UK will total about 50,000 this year, growing to between two and three million in 2020. Globally, out of one and a half billion smartphones sold in 2019, about one million will be 5G-capable.

Deloitte head of research for technology, media and telecoms Paul Lee said: “The addressable market demand for upgrading to 5G is plain to see, with at least 15 million people ready to switch as soon as it is available and working properly.

“The adoption rate for 5G in the UK is likely to be slower than for 4G, largely as the UK may be amongst the first countries to see 5G launched across all operators.

“The first 4G launch was in 2009, but it was not until 2013 that all UK operators had launched their networks.

“Sales of 5G handsets sold in the UK this year will be just tens of thousands. It will take some time before the full extent of the new capabilities of 5G are demonstrated and proficiently marketed by vendors.

“Data-hungry consumers are naturally craving the data speeds 5G will offer, which are likely to be between ten and one hundred times faster than current connections.”

In this weeks show we discussed biometric facial recognition software with GFK Director of Technology Imran Choudhary and Deloitte head of Technology, Media & Telecommunications research Paul Lee.

We also spoke with New Way International Managing Director Nigel Prince about his involvement in the upcoming Mobile News awards this March and of course we had a word with features editor Manny Pham about the new Mobile News magazine issue out this week.

British smartphone users collectively check their devices 1.1 billion times a day – the equivalent of 400 billion times a year.

This is according to the fifth annual Mobile Consumer Report from business advisory firm Deloitte, which analyses the mobile usage habits of over 4,000 UK consumers as part of a global survey of 49,000 people across 30 countries and six continents.

As of May-June 2015, three quarters (76 per cent) of UK adults owned a smartphone, up six per cent from the previous year to May 2014 and 14 per cent from 2013.

It revealed more than a third (36 per cent) look at their smartphone more than 25 times a day, while 16 per cent admitted to looking at it more than 50 times a day.

Twelve per cent reach for their smartphone as soon as they wake up. More than half (55 per cent) do so within 15 minutes of waking up, with more than a quarter checking their phones within five minutes of going to sleep every night.

The research also found that two thirds use their devices while on public transport; 65 per cent while at work; and almost a third use them while eating at a restaurant.

Deloitte head of technology, media and telecommunications Paul Lee said: “The modern, touchscreen-based smartphone is less than a decade old, but it is more intertwined with our lives than ever. Constant technological improvements are allowing us to delegate more and more tasks to our phones, from ordering taxis to browsing catalogues and paying for a meal.

“The frequency of consumers glancing at their smartphones arguably makes it one of the best value devices available. For the sixth of smartphone owners who look at their devices 50 times or more a day, the cost per glance is less than two pence a day for a £700 handset kept for two years. And that’s before allowing for trade-in value.”

Elsewhere, 30 per cent of smartphone users now use 4G, up from eight per cent a year ago, while the number of UK adults making mobile payments has risen from three to 13 per cent.

The research found that barriers still exist here for the majority of owners. Security was cited by 42 per cent as the primary reason for not using their phone to make a payment, followed by “I don’t see the benefits of using this” (35 per cent) and users lacking the necessary feature or app on their phone (22 per cent).

Lee added: As technology companies continue to launch and market their mobile-payment systems, smartphone users will increasingly accept it as a method of payment. Within the next year, we would expect around 10% of smartphone owners to regularly make mobile payments. Early adopters may choose to leave home without the need to carry a wallet or purse.

“However, for the mainstream consumer, it will be many years before credit cards are dispensed of entirely; cash’s anonymity may well mean it remains in circulation for generations.”