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New 5GE Coming To Phones Is Still In Development

By February 21, 2019May 19th, 2022Technology News

AT&T is getting some pushback for what most industry insiders are calling a misleading indicator. It has started to appear on many new smartphones including both Androids and iPhones. With the latest update, a growing number of customers are now seeing a “5G E” indicator on their 4G phones, which leads to a momentary surge of excitement, leading customers to believe they’re using 5G technology.

The indicator actually stands for 5G Evolution.  It’s still 4G technology. It does have some enhanced features not found on other 4G devices, including 256 QAN, 4×4 MIMO and three-way carrier aggregation.  Even so, it’s a far cry from being 5G technology, which isn’t slated to roll out until sometime in 2020.

AT&T defended the move with the following statement:

“5G Evolution is our first step on the road to 5G.  It is now live in over 400 markets with more to come, and soon our most popular smartphones will start displaying the 5G E indicator to let you know when 5G Evolution coverage is available.”

Both users and the company’s competitors have widely mocked the indicator. Customers expressed a range of emotion that spans from frustration to outrage. For the time being at least, AT&T is sticking to its guns and shows no signs of backing away from the indicator.  In fact, AT&T Communications CEO John Donovan dismissed the complaints by saying simply “Our competitors are frustrated.”

They’re not the only ones. Although at this point, it’s unclear what (if any) backlash the company will face courtesy of unhappy customers.

Honestly, although the move is ham-fisted and a bit deceptive, AT&T isn’t likely to lose many, if any customers over the issue. It is something of a public relations black eye.  Long story short though, don’t be fooled by the new indicator.  5G is still quite some distance away.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.