French operator SFR announced that 78 percent of its new LTE users said they do not want to go back to 3G, according a survey by TNS Sofres between 15-21 March. Customer satisfaction with LTE is very strong. Some 94 percent of the 350 users surveyed said LTE made it easier to exchange content, 85 percent perceived an overall time gain and 80 percent said it made it easier to communicate with friends and family. SFR was the first French operator to offer consumer LTE services in November 2012.
Even though LTE is predominantly used outside the home, it offers speeds that rival Wi-Fi and connected PCs. Some 69 percent of users said LTE outperformed 3G and 53 percent that it outperformed public Wi-Fi hotspots, while 73 percent said it was at least as good as Wi-Fi and 65 percent at least as good as a connected PC. Compared to 3G, LTE offers faster browsing (85%) and less waiting for websites to respond (80%). SFR writes that content-rich applications such as videoconferencing, cloud, music and video stand to gain. So far, SFR has rolled out LTE in the Lyon area, Montpellier and a part of Paris.
