AT&T’s deceptive “5G E” network indicator icon for 4G devices, which was seen on some Android devices rolled out last month, has now appeared on iPhones in a beta release of iOS version 12.2.
AT&T users who install the second beta version of iOS 12.2 can notice their smartphones displaying a ‘5G E’ AT&T network connection symbol on the status bar. Ever since the misleading 5G roll out, Twitter has gone ablaze with tolls on AT&T, screenshots of the so-called 5G E indicator, and tons of comments flocking in on the micro-blogging platform
Of course, there’s nothing like a 5G iPhone yet, and AT&T does not provide any sort of 5G mobile service for phones. Here, the 5G E refers to 5G Evolution, but it’s really a standard 4G LTE network, though it flaunts a handful of advanced LTE features such as 256 QAM, 4×4 MIMO, as well as a three-way carrier aggregation.
However, these technologies belong to the LTE-Advanced standard and are already in use by leading telecom operators, including Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
As such, AT&T is the only leading carrier making use of a deceptive 5G label for its 4G LTE network, a move the company defended by claiming 5G Evolution to be their first step on the road to the upcoming era-defining network.
AT&T said that the 5G Evolution has now been rolled out to more than 400 markets with many more to come, and soon their most popular phones will also start displaying the ‘5G E’ indicator which, as per the claims by AT&T, is being used to let customers know as to when 5G Evolution coverage is available.
Real AT&T 5G rolling out next year
AT&T revealed that its real 5G network will be available across the US as early as 2020, powered by a sub-6GHz spectrum. AT&T’s 5G release over millimeter-wave spectrum is expected to take longer for a nationwide rollout.
Apple is yet to have a say on this recent change in the iOS 12.2 beta while AT&T confirmed the change, saying that some iPad and iPhone users could start noticing their 5G Evolution indicator. AT&T claims that the 5G network indicator is there to help users know when they are in a region where the 5G Evolution experience may be available.
AT&T has revealed that the 5G E offers average speeds of around 40Mbps, while its trials of actual 5G network have been generating super speeds of over a gigabit per second over millimeter-wave frequencies.
At present, as per an OpenSignal measurement carried out in late 2018, AT&T’s average 4G speed across the United States is around 15Mbps.
AT&T is being widely mocked by its rivals and customers for use of the 5G E indicator. On this, AT&T has mostly been undeterred, with Communications CEO John Donovan asserting, “our competitors are frustrated.”