US operator Sprint sues AT&T for false 5G network identification issues

US operator Sprint has filed a lawsuit against AT&T for displaying the 5G E logo on iOS 12.2 beta and some Android devices. Of course, commercial 5G networks are not yet implemented, so these are fakes. These fake logos are all from the US operator AT&T. AT&T has previously displayed the 5G E logo on some Samsung and LG devices, and many consumers believe that the company is purely misleading consumers.

The so-called 5G E network is actually an enhanced version of the 4G network but definitely not a 5G network. AT&T said that the network can reach a maximum speed of 400MB per second. Of course, as you know, this speed is the speed of 4G LTE networks, and the true 5G network speed far exceeds the peak speed of 4G LTE. The reason for AT&T’s approach is naturally to seize the 5G network opportunity, although it has not been officially commercialized, but does not affect AT&T’s early promotion.

According to a survey commissioned by Sprint, 54% of consumers believe that the 5G E network is the same as the 5G network, that is, consumers regard it as a true 5G network. And 43% of users even think that if you buy AT&T’s smartphone, it will have the 5G function, and the actual situation is that the current 5G device has not yet launched.

In view of this, Sprint believes that AT&T’s highly misleading practices will damage users’ understanding of 5G and may also hurt Sprint’s 5G competition. Sprint has now filed a lawsuit against AT&T, requesting the court to ban the latter from using the fake logo of 5G E in equipment or advertising.