Nearly half of US consumers say they don't need 4G LTE

4G LTE
Do you need 4G?

Ofcom may have given the green light to Everything Everywhere's 4G plans for the UK, but a lot of people think the technology is unnecessary.

In a study of 3,000 US consumers, nearly half say they don't need 4G LTE. Though considering more than a quarter of all respondents think all 4G technologies are the same, maybe it's worth taking these results with a pinch of salt.

Piper Jaffray carried out the study. Its analyst Christopher M. Larsen published the paper.

The study found 47 per cent of respondents said they didn't need 4G LTE, while 26 per cent thought all 4G technologies were the same. Only 15 per cent said they thought 4G LTE was the best 4G wireless technology.

The study also found that consumers aren't fussed about which operator has the best 4G LTE network.

4G in the UK

Ofcom recently said it was ok for Everything Everywhere to roll out its 4G network in the UK, much to the annoyance of the other networks. O2, Vodafone and Three will have to wait until the spectrum auction at the end of the year before they can deploy their own 4G networks.

Apple's latest iPad is equipped for 4G in certain markets, though not the UK or Australia, despite the company's marketing blurb. It was subsequently forced to stop labelling it as '4G' everywhere in the world.

The iPhone 5 is expected to be announced on September 12, with many thinking it could be 4G-enabled as well.

Via Apple Insider

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.