Consumers ascribe 20x more value to mobile broadband than fixed

Despite Americans using significantly more data over fixed networks than mobile, a new Mobile Experts report quantifies how consumers put a premium on the value they ascribe to mobile service. "Fixed Mobile Convergence 2021," the report from Mobile Experts, puts figures to the idea of this so-called “mobility premium” and forecasts the trend of fixed mobile convergence. It found that the average US household consumes over 11 times more data over fixed networks versus mobile access. However, when the study compared service revenue generated from actual GB delivered, it found that consumers place roughly 20 times more value on mobile broadband than fixed in terms of what they’re willing to pay for monthly plans. Mobile Experts Principal Analyst Kyung Mun said that even though most consumers spend the majority of time indoors in a stationary environment, the data captures how people are willing to spend more on the idea of being able to consume data while on the go. As for fixed mobile convergence, a concept that Mun said has been around for decades, Mobile Experts expects the trend of deeper integration of 5G network elements to grow gradually over the next few years, particularly leveraging 5G core networks as the so-called anchor.