AT&T is so excited for the rollout of 5G that it’s updating smartphones a bit early, with a misleading 5G icon.
AT&T has updated three smartphones from Samsung and LG to make them show 5G connectivity logos, even though none of them are capable of connecting to 5G networks…That “E” in the “5G” logo is supposed to tip you off that this isn’t real 5G — just some marketing nonsense. But there’s no way of knowing that just from looking at the logo.
As it turns out, the government didn’t create or ratify 5G. Neither the FCC nor FTC are regulating what the term means, so technically AT&T is still within the law by doing this. Doesn’t make it right, but it shows how absurd the 5G situation is.
Check It Out: AT&T Updates Smartphones With Misleading 5G Icon
At least we get something for it — it represents the faster standards within 4G, including 4×4 MIMO, LAA and 256 QAM. But make no mistake: this is 4G+, not 5G.
This is the same company that added support for “4G” back in 2012, which was actually an upgraded 3G (HSPA+) service, rather than LTE. Sad to see they haven’t changed their ways at all.