Back in December, AT&T started rolling out “5G E” branding to some of the phones on its network. 5G E, as AT&T claims, stands for “5G Evolution,” or the
Back in December, AT&T started rolling out “5G E” branding to some of the phones on its network. 5G E, as AT&T claims, stands for “5G Evolution,” or the precursor to the nationwide 5G networks carriers are beginning to build out. There’s just one problem: AT&T doesn’t offer phones that support 5G yet, and what it brands as “5G E” is actually just 4G LTE Advanced.
While 4G LTE Advanced is certainly more capable than standard LTE, it isn’t 5G in any real sense. This decision to brand 4G LTE Advanced connections as 5G E is one that’s drawn a lot of ire from consumers and competitors alike, but AT&T pushed forward, releasing advertisements touting 5G Evolution and updating phones on its network to carry the questionable branding.
The response from AT&T’s biggest competitors has been varied. T-Mobile settled for roasting AT&T on Twitter, while Verizon published a serious letter urging the mobile industry at large not to give in to the temptation to mislead customers with bogus branding.
