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Written by: Yuan Shu
2021-05-17 12:25
Last update date: 2021-05-17 12:26
The fifth-generation mobile technology (5G) boasts technical advantages such as low latency and data transmission speeds generally 10 to 20 times faster than 4G. It is very attractive to consumers who are pursuing the fluency of the Internet and often watch videos and play on their mobile phones. .
Telecommunications companies have successively launched 5G service plans since April last year, and smartphones under the banner of 5G have also been introduced in the market.
However, the Consumer Council has received many 5G-related complaints. Some consumers said that after switching to a more expensive 5G plan, the Internet speed was poor, and some consumers said that the functions of the new 5G dual-SIM phone were not as expected. Great disappointment.
The Consumer Council received 84 complaints about 5G networks in 2020, and 27 complaints have been received from January to April this year.
The Consumer Council pointed out that 5G mobile communication is still under development, and neither the network nor the mobile phone is perfect. It refers to users who do not have an urgent need to use it when the development is more mature; in addition, there are gaps in the performance of the network of various telecommunications companies, and they can be considered. The free network test provided by the Office of the Communications Authority measures performance.
Hong Kong's 5G network is officially put into service, and iPhone SE does not support 5G connections, which will greatly reduce its useful life.
(Photo by Cai Haoteng)
5G reception signal is not as good as 4G consumers in remote areas: sometimes only 1Mbps
Mr. Li bought a new 5G mobile phone, checked the corresponding service plan when he went to A telecommunications company, and switched to a 5G plan with a monthly fee of 198 yuan under the strong promotion of the staff.
Mr. Li, who lives far away, repeatedly confirmed whether the reception was correct and provided the complete address of his residence. The staff were sure that there was no problem, emphasizing that Telecom A’s 5G coverage covers 90% of Hong Kong.
However, after signing the contract, Mr. Li found that the internet speed at home was not as fast as expected. Sometimes the connection speed was only 1Mbps. Instead, he used another mobile phone to surf the Internet and found that the 4G networks of other telecommunications providers were faster.
Mr. Li later complained to Telecom A, saying that he had been very looking forward to the high-speed 5G network, especially in the city center, where the connection speed could reach 300Mbps to 400Mbps. He purchased the service to accept 5G at home.
He asked to terminate the contract, but was asked to pay the remaining contract fee of $4,554.
The Consumer Council intervened in the incident. Telecommunications company A stated that according to the survey results, the overall network of the receiving location mentioned by Mr. Li is generally normal. However, the performance of network services in individual indoor locations may be affected by other external factors: including but not Limited to signal coverage, customer equipment, receiving location and network settings, etc.
Telecommunications company A informed the Consumer Council that it has specifically arranged to cancel the existing contract and adjust the fees. Mr. Li accepted the arrangement and has successfully switched to other telecommunications company services.
5G network update project makes signal unstable, dual-SIM phones may not support dual-SIM 5G
In addition to the poor reception in remote areas, there are also complaints. Ms. Huang, who lives in Kowloon, said that the mobile phone network is often unstable in the area, and it is even impossible to answer calls at home.
After the inquiry, the C telecommunications company pointed out that the instability of the network was caused by the 5G network renewal project in the same area, which could not be improved in the short term.
C telecommunications company then proposed two solutions. They are choosing to terminate the contract, but must return the equivalent amount of the electronic gift certificate and pay the tunnel toll until March 2023; or choose to enjoy the two-month monthly fee waiver to continue to perform the contract .
After adjustment, the C telecommunications company finally approved it to cancel the contract without paying a termination fee, but still need to return the amount of the electronic gift certificate.
In addition, there is also Ms. Chen who even bought a dual-SIM mobile phone with a 5G contract, but the mobile phone cannot operate two 5G SIM cards at the same time.
Because work requires a mobile phone with dual card numbers, Ms. Chen cannot deactivate any calling card. At present, new mobile phones can only be downgraded to use 4G LTE, but need to pay a 5G monthly fee. I questioned whether the staff of Telecom B did not mention that the mobile phone only works with a single employee 5G.
Upon enquiry by the Consumer Council, Telecom B stated that it has directly contacted Ms. Chen for explanation and follow-up.
Ms. Chen later informed this Council that Telecom B suggested that the contract should be reverted to the original 4G plan, but the contract must be renewed when the contract expires. After consideration, she also accepted this arrangement.
Regarding the 5G dual-card mobile phone supporting 5G network only in single-card mode, Ms. Chen believes that the product statement is slightly inaccurate. She believes that mobile phone manufacturers should clearly explain the details to avoid consumer misunderstanding.
The Consumer Council pointed out that the 5G network is still developing. Whether the network or hardware such as mobile phones is still not perfect, it needs to pay more attention and give three major recommendations:
1. Before buying a 5G mobile phone, you should pay attention to the product specifications and the details of the 5G network. If there is no urgent need, you can consider when the development is more mature and refer to the user's experience before making a decision;
2. Telecommunications companies have different network coverage in different locations. For example, if the network area is remote, please pay special attention to the actual reception status.
In addition to checking experience with relatives and friends, you can also consider using the free network speed test provided by the Office of the Communications Authority to understand the upload and download speed performance, and then compare it with 5G services.
3. With 5G high-speed transmission, consumers tend to increase downloads unconsciously, which increases data usage.
Consumers need to pay attention to whether the mobile service plan has data usage restrictions to avoid incurring additional data expenses.
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