
AT&T’s “5G E” network is not true 5G - sahin-boydas
https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/att-is-lying-to-customers-with-5g-marketing/
======
JustAPerson
This is not the first time AT&T has pretended to have a newer network than
their infrastructure actually provides.

[https://slate.com/technology/2012/03/4g-vs-3g-beware-of-
the-...](https://slate.com/technology/2012/03/4g-vs-3g-beware-of-the-murkiest-
most-confusing-labels-in-tech.html)

~~~
bausshf
Off-topic:

Slate trying to comply with GDPR by forcing you to agree.

Nice try Slate.

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usaphp
> TechCrunch is a Verizon Media company

AT&T should also purchase some big news blog and write about lying in Verizon
"Unlimited" plans...

~~~
judge2020
Relevant:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18157869](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18157869)

The linked article from before it was suspended:
[https://web.archive.org/web/20181007202929/https://medium.co...](https://web.archive.org/web/20181007202929/https://medium.com/@dvorak/5g-got-
me-fired-ce407e584c4a)

~~~
gruez
if you read a little further down on in the comments section, you'd see that
the article is pretty much a clickbait/FUD piece, and the author has a history
of writing clickbait/FUD articles.

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piepoter
"TechCrunch is a Verizon Media company"

Regardless, I've generally come to expect nothing less from cell companies,
and I guess big tech companies in general?

Cant wait until actual 5G comes out, assuming it won't be too much more
expensive than current 4G plans.

~~~
zamadatix
Current 4G plans aren't "actual" 4G either.

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pxeboot
This should serve as another strong example why mobile operating systems
should be completely decoupled from carriers.

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NoPicklez
Is this going to happen each and every time a new standard comes by.

Did this also not happen with 4G LTE?

I suppose the difference being that the use of the "E" wasn't approved by the
regulating body like the use of LTE was?

~~~
ploxiln
We call it "4G LTE" instead of just "4G" ... because T-Mobile and AT&T labeled
3G HSPA+ as "4G" ... because Sprint's WiMAX was a fourth-generation technology
but wasn't very good, so it was slower than decent 3G.

Similarly, when 5G is first available, it won't be very good, and really good
4G LTE will actually be faster. So AT&T is pre-emptively calling good 4G "5G".

It sure would be nice if consumers would understand that "5G" is not always
better than "4G", it's just different, and one day will probably be better,
but not today, not even this year. But marketing won't risk it, they'll just
re-number and re-name, and make sure everyone is properly confused.

~~~
masonic
Was Sprint's Wimax, which they called 4G before they rolled out 4G/LTE, better
than or inferior to 3G HSPA+?

~~~
wmf
WiMax was slower than HSPA+ (both under ideal conditions, of course).

------
warent
Previous discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18736378](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18736378)

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2bitencryption
this sounds like exactly the sort of thing a functioning FCC should be able to
stamp out right quick.

~~~
woah
That supposes that there is an actual definition of "5g" that anyone could be
held to

~~~
zamadatix
5G is a specific ITU standard, just like 4G was.
[https://itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-M.2410-2017-PDF-...](https://itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/opb/rep/R-REP-M.2410-2017-PDF-E.pdf)

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JustSomeNobody
Things like this piss me off way more than I should allow them to. And now the
cable industry is coming with "10G".

Everything[0] is just BS now-a-days.

[0] Obviously not "everything", but the amount of BS is staggering.

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mettamage
This may seem like a naive question but since I'm currently in my job search
(email is in my profile), I care a lot about it: is there any big company that
isn't up to unethical shenanigans?

For almost every industry and/or major player in a particular industry that I
look at, I get the idea that there are at least some unethical things going on
at best. At worst the planet is being destroyed.

Which industries / companies are clean(ish)? I'd like to apply for those.

~~~
lozaning
Tons, but they're all really boring.

For example the company that likely makes the carpet you walk on everyday if
you're in A class office space is made by a company that's had a carbon
neutral 2020 goal since 2007, and is in line to meet that goal now.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface,_Inc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface,_Inc).

Patagonia is likely another one you've heard of. (Or i've fallen for their
marketing hook line and sinker)

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jsmith28281
So what if carriers enable 5G-ish radio access, but still use a 4G core
network? This is an inevitable transition strategy.

Should they still market this as some kind of progress towards 5G, or wait
until "5G is finished" (which doesn't happen because there is always a next
release...)?

~~~
wmf
_So what if carriers enable 5G-ish radio access, but still use a 4G core
network?_

As a customer is there any way to notice? If it uses NR and delivers promised
1 Gbps speed (downhill with a tailwind) who cares what the core network is.

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tzakrajs
This article declares the tautology that 5G Evolution is not the same as 5G.

~~~
monocasa
I mean, "5G Evolution" is an AT&T specific trademark specifically designed to
mislead consumers.

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bflatt72
Because of course it isn’t.

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briandear
> Disclosure: Tech Crunch is a Verizon Media company

And just curious, who decides what “5G-e” means? Since it’s supposedly a
“beefed up 4G” then that implies that it’s more advanced than 4G. So it is an
improved system. Would “4G Plus” have made the author happier?

Disclosure: I am a reasonably happy Verizon customer so I really don’t care
what AT&T names their network in their marketing materials.

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stevecalifornia
Is it too much to expect that TechCrunch should prove in their article that
the phone is still on 4G when it says it's on 5G? They are declaring a
conspiracy, it's their job to provide evidence. I feel like not providing any
evidence is wildly lazy journalism.

~~~
monocasa
It's all over the internet, so you should be complaining more about this being
the next tier above blog spam rather than taking this as TechCrunch's
journalism.

That being said, AT&T isn't currently shipping any 5G capable handsets, so a
5G logo popping up on any of their phones is arguably a lie. According to
AT&T's stated intentions, they're rebranding LTE with most of the latest
extensions as "5Ge" and real 5G will be branded "5G+". None of this is
particularly hidden information.

Additionally, none of this is new, AT&T is known for faking this information,
like displaying LTE when it might be able to see a tower that's LTE capable,
but you're not able to connect to LTE.

~~~
lathiat
ah yes, "e" and "+", the two speeds.

Just like High Speed, and Full Speed.

