Major US carriers AT&T and Sprint have reported a continued slowdown in users upgrading devices . That could juice profits for carriers and, because 5G requires special hardware components, spur customers to buy new phones to take full advantage of it. Figures for January 2019 revealed 4.4 % of Verizon contract customers purchased new models , compared to 6.5 % in Q1 2014 . Critics said increasingly expensive and iterative new hardware caused the slump , but manufacturers including Apple and Samsung could see revenues grow with 5 G and innovative foldable technology .
Major US carriers AT&T and Sprint have reported a continued slowdown in users upgrading devices . Figures for January 2019 revealed 4.4 % of Verizon contract customers purchased new models , compared to 6.5 % in Q1 2014 . Critics said increasingly expensive and iterative new hardware caused the slump , but manufacturers including Apple and Samsung could see revenues grow with 5 G and innovative foldable technology .