Interestingly, the case against AT&T was initially brought up by T-Mobile, while Ma Bell pointed the finger at Verizon in the separate matter where the NAD reached a verdict last week that Big Red plans to appeal (in part). AT&T actually did appeal the NAD's original recommendations that two of its disingenuous advertising claims be discontinued, but unsurprisingly, the NARB ruled to uphold said decision.
No more 5G Evolution... ads
If you're the least bit familiar with the global mobile industry's slow transition from aging 4G LTE connectivity to a new 5G gold standard of download speeds and network latency, you probably know the first 5G launches took place in the US and South Korea a little over a year ago.
Of course, carriers started the public race to "true" 5G way before April 2019, touting many theoretical and intermediary breakthroughs as early as 2018. Going even further back in time, some of you might remember a 2017 announcement that initially seemed pretty innocent. On the path to 5G, AT&T rolled out a service dubbed 5G Evolution that promised to offer "twice the speeds" of its conventional 4G LTE network.
5G Evolution slowly expanded to more and more markets until it eventually reached nationwide coverage, and AT&T's promotion of what was essentially LTE Advanced technology gradually grew more aggressive... and misleading. The carrier's shenanigans hit a high point when customers started noticing a little 5G E logo where the 4G LTE icon used to reside on their phones, leading many to expect vastly improved speeds.
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This caused major public controversy, as well as seemingly endless mocking, a lawsuit, and this T-Mobile complaint to the National Advertising Division. Predictably enough, AT&T was found guilty of misrepresenting its LTE Advanced service, suggesting this had already "evolved" into 5G when that was unquestionably not the case yet. In fact, it's not the case now either in many places.
While AT&T "respectfully disagrees" with the National Advertising Review Board's ruling, the operator remains a "supporter of the self-regulatory process", which is why it does plan to discontinue the "5G Evolution" and "5G Evolution, The First Step to 5G" claims from any and all marketing materials, including TV commercials and other ad campaigns. But the 5G E saga actually doesn't end there.
The universally loathed icon is not going anywhere
As such, Ma Bell has no intention to discontinue said icon as it continues to work towards achieving nationwide coverage with its "true" low-band 5G service. When that happens, of course, the carrier will no longer need to trick its customers into believing its 5G deployment progress is more advanced than it really is.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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