Sprint Goes to Court to Block AT&T's Controversial '5GE' Label as Misleading

AT&T’s decision to label some of its most advanced 4G LTE mobile network as “5G Evolution” has drawn scorn from rivals and some analysts who claim the carrier is misleading consumers about the real arrival date of faster fifth-generation technology called “5G.” Competitor Sprint went a step further and filed a lawsuit to block AT&T from using the term and having a label show on customers’ phones as “5GE.” “AT&T has employed numerous deceptive tactics to mislead consumers into believing that it currently offers a coveted and highly anticipated fifth generation wireless network, known as 5G,” Sprint wrote. “What AT&T touts as 5G, however, is nothing more than an enhanced fourth generation Long Term Evolution wireless service, known as 4G LTE Advanced, which is offered by all other major wireless carriers.”

AT&T is touting its ability to achieve 1.5 Gbps in a field test using its commercial 5G network at the same time it’s defending its use of the “5G E” moniker on phones. "[W]e’re the only company in the U.S. that can test the latest updates in real time on a standards based 5G commercial mobile network," wrote Gordon Mansfield, AT&T's VP of converged access and device design.