Consumers are pretending to know what new technology means, Samsung has found, as it launched a LoRa network in Korea.
A survey said customers are confused by terminology used by companies, with 23 percent left unable to use their devices to their full potential out of ignorance. It found 43 percent of consumers owned at least one item of tech that is more advanced than they need, and 11 percent feel left behind by tech.
While more than half of the 10,000 people surveyed across Europe said they were excited about the likes of the Internet of Things or the cloud, 72 percent admitted they had to pretend they knew exactly what these terms meant.
David Lowes, CMO of Samsung Electronics Europe, said: “As we push the boundaries of mobile, digital and TV technology even further, our industry has to be mindful of how we make the benefits accessible to everyone and support those who are not yet comfortable with the latest concepts like the Internet of Things.”
Earlier this week, Samsung said it would be building a nationwide LoRa-based network for SK Telecom.
It will use the 900MHz frequency band and initially be based in Daegu, Korea’s fourth largest city. SK Telecom is aiming to make the network nationwide by the middle of 2016.
Daegu will serve as the network’s testbed, trialling infrastructure for renewable energy solutions, cloud platforms and big data analytics for health.
It gave the example of smart streetlights, which will collect weather and traffic information using sensors and will automatically adjust its lighting levels accordingly.
Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics, said: “Now is a critical moment for ICT companies looking for new future business opportunities such as IoT services.”