AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds • Hacker News Board

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#21

Post by dontbenebby » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:06 AM UTC

waynecochran wrote: post #2

Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

> Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

Alternatively, they can slowly phase out 4g like they did with 3G. This is very useful if you have pesky customers stuck on cheap all you can eat data plans.

The paranoid part of me wonders if it'll be an excuse to shunt people off of cheap plans.

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#22

Post by rayiner » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:07 AM UTC

waynecochran wrote: post #2

Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

“5G” isn’t a well defined term. In theory, it includes both LTE and 5GNR (the OFDM based “new radio” air interface) on parallel tracks: https://www.edn.com/5G/4458325/What-is-5G-NR

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#23

Post by eli » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:11 AM UTC

waynecochran wrote: post #2

Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

The “G” standards have always been more marketing than anything else. This whole scandal already happened when some carriers decided to call EDGE “3G”

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#24

Post by arcticbull » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:16 AM UTC

eli wrote: post #23

waynecochran wrote: post #2

Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

The “G” standards have always been more marketing than anything else. This whole scandal already happened when some carriers decided to call EDGE “3G”

AT&T also tried to call HSPA+ 4G while Verizon had LTE, and switched the indicators on the iPhone IIRC.

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#25

Post by arcticbull » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:18 AM UTC

dontbenebby wrote: post #21

waynecochran wrote: post #2

Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food?

> Are there rules for enforcing (and by whom?) the term “5G”? Or is it like the word “natural” for health food? Alternatively, they can slowly phase out 4g like they did with 3G. This is very useful if you have pesky customers stuck on cheap all you can eat data plans. The paranoid part of me wonders if it'll be an excuse to shunt people off of cheap plans.

The scam is much more obvious, AT&T wants to show everyone that they have 5G while everyone else has 4G, and that’s one extra G.

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#26

Post by jtms » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:21 AM UTC

You would think the FCC would have something to say about this.

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#27

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:27 AM UTC

sovnade wrote: post #16

iscrewyou wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’ve done this all the way back to 4G. I know because I used to sell cellphones when I was I college. It was 3G but they called it 4G. They’ve done that with every new iteration. It’s ATT being ATT. Why they haven’t gotten in trouble for this shady practice is beyond me.

Massive amounts of money and a complicit FCC?

[deleted]

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#28

Post by rayiner » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:28 AM UTC

jtms wrote: post #26

You would think the FCC would have something to say about this.

I can’t find anything in the Communications Act of 1934 that gives the FCC jurisdiction over marketing practices.

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#29

Post by jrockway » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:28 AM UTC

Still waiting for the Java-style version increment, where 5.1G comes out and someone starts marketing it as 51G. "It's 47Gs better than T-Mobile!!111!"

Re: AT&T’s “5G E” is slower than Verizon and T-Mobile 4G, study finds

#30

Post by metaphor » Sat, Mar 23, 2019, 1:35 AM UTC

sovnade wrote: post #16

iscrewyou wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’ve done this all the way back to 4G. I know because I used to sell cellphones when I was I college. It was 3G but they called it 4G. They’ve done that with every new iteration. It’s ATT being ATT. Why they haven’t gotten in trouble for this shady practice is beyond me.

Massive amounts of money and a complicit FCC?

> ...a complicit FCC?

What role do you think the FCC has here?

If anything, this is a Truth in Advertising[1] issue--enforced by the FTC, not FCC.

[1] https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consume...