(LONDON) 31 March 2022 — Today, ACT | The App Association released the results of a study demonstrating that less than half of respondents believe the UK is ahead of other countries when it comes to producing innovative technology, products, and services. The study, executed by Portland Communications, polled more than 2.000 UK consumers on awareness and concerns around innovation and competition.

UK as a hub for innovation

The results of the study show that consumers are concerned about the position of the UK as a hub for innovation, with less than half (47 per cent) believing the UK is ahead of other countries in producing innovative technology, products, and services. A large majority of consumers (70 per cent) believe prioritising policies that will promote investment in new technologies is important.

Promoting innovation

One of the ways to promote UK innovation is to create an environment in which business can thrive by ensuring fair use of standard technologies. The survey therefore takes a closer look at consumer awareness and concerns around standardised technologies, often referred to simply as ‘standards’, such as Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G.

  • Only one in four (23 per cent) are fully aware of the term ‘standards’ used in relation to technology. Around a third (31 per cent) of those surveyed had never heard of the term ‘standards’ in relation to technology.

Protecting innovation

The patents needed by product manufacturers to use these standards are called standard-essential patents (SEPs). When informed about the use of standards, enabling devices to interact wirelessly with other devices, UK consumers do strongly feel the availability of and innovation with such patented technology impacts them.

  • Once informed of potential abuses of the system, almost two of three (64 per cent) think they would be personally affected by this system.
  • More than two-thirds (69 per cent) agree abuses of the current SEP system could threaten innovation and competition, with only 3 per cent in disagreement.
  • A large majority of consumers are concerned that potential abuses of the system could result in increases in the cost of mobile phones and other connected devices (80 per cent feeling (at least somewhat) concerned about the issue).