It shouldn’t just be the packages that are being pushed up for 5G

"The 4G package was inexplicably upgraded to the 198 yuan 5G package" and "Once users choose to upgrade to a 5G package, they may no longer be able to apply to change back to 4G." In recent days, "being 5Ged" has become a topic of concern among netizens. According to media reports, the Beijing Communications Administration pointed out that citizens can call the 12300 Telecom User Complaint Hotline or log in to the "Telecom User Complaint" column on the homepage of the Municipal Communications Administration's official website to submit complaints online. The Municipal Communications Administration and the city's Telecom User Complaint Acceptance Center will handle user complaints in a timely manner, and will investigate any corporate violations to the end.

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Recently, a Beijing News reporter found that the rumored "4G package removal" may not be a common phenomenon, and for users who have applied for 5G packages, as long as there is no contract period restriction, they can also change back to 4G at any time. However, in the operator's APP, the phenomenon of 5G packages being highly promoted and 4G packages being difficult to find does exist. As we all know, the starting tariff level of 5G packages is relatively high. Many people in the industry have pointed out that what really disgusts users is the various inducement and misleading behaviors of operators and their staff when promoting packages and other services, as well as the opacity and insecurity caused by these behaviors when consuming. Due to the limited knowledge of ordinary users about communication technology, it is not ruled out that staff members, under the pressure of assessment, use this information gap to influence users' choices, and even force users to upgrade.

This approach may be "effective" for a while, but the long-term result is that users will not trust operators. In the process of 5G promotion, many users contrast 4G packages with 5G packages, and even "change color when talking about 5G", fearing that they will be "5G-proofed", which is a manifestation of the negative effects of these practices.

The advent of the 5G era was originally intended to provide consumers with faster, more convenient communications and web surfing services. However, for consumers, choosing 4G or 5G services is a comprehensive consideration of many factors, including service performance and price. Especially for some low- and middle-income groups, the weight of price factors will be higher. In this regard, operators should further improve the cost-effectiveness, including providing more price-preferential packages for consumers to choose from, and through the larger-scale deployment of 5G base stations, continue to improve Internet speed and other performance to attract users to buy packages.

Telecom services have always been in the spotlight of society. On the one hand, people cannot live without telecom services. Especially with the continuous development of the Internet economy, various emerging services have gradually become a necessity for people's lives and work, and the pipeline effect of operators has become more and more prominent. On the other hand, operators do have many service slots and are frequently questioned and dissatisfied by users, which also shows that the current service quality of operators is still far from public expectations. Further improving the cost-effectiveness of packages and service quality is the basis for 5G services to gain more recognition from consumers.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has made it clear that it will intensify the investigation and punishment of operators who upgrade user packages and sell bundled packages without user consent, which infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of users. 5G should not be a "consumed" package. It took operators about five years to complete the transition from 3G to 4G. Through a relatively more comprehensive transition period, it can promote the maturity of 4G technology, reduce prices, improve service levels, and gradually attract more and more people to choose 4G packages. Today, in the face of the 5G era, major operators must not only steadily advance this idea, but also put consumer feelings and rights first.