Label Only True 5G as Such, Verizon Proposes; AT&T Starting '5G E' Indicator

"The broad wireless industry" should "commit to labeling something 5G only if new device hardware is connecting to the network using new radio technology to deliver new capabilities," Verizon asked of "competitors, vendors and partners." AT&T noted it's starting such an indicator, which drew criticism from rivals. Verizon "won’t take an old phone and just change the software to turn the 4 in the status bar into a 5," blogged Chief Technology Officer Kyle Malady Monday. "People need a clear, consistent and simple understanding of 5G so they are able to compare services, plans and products, without having to maneuver through marketing double-speak or technical specifications." To let AT&T "customers know when they’re connecting to a 5G Evolution tower, we’re rolling out a '5G E' indicator initially on a handful of 5G Evolution capable devices," emailed a spokesperson Tuesday. Devices with that indicator include the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and LG V30 and V40. The carrier's 5G Evolution is in over 400 markets, he noted. Sprint Chief Technology Officer John Saw said "AT&T is blatantly misleading consumers -- 5GE is not real 5G." Sprint has its "sights on providing our customers with contiguous coverage using the first 5G smartphone in the U.S.," he added. The company is being sold to T-Mobile, whose CEO John Legere asked on Twitter if AT&T really thinks "customers would fall for their mountain of '5G E' BS?!" Legere said "@verizon isn’t innocent in all this 5G puffery. They’re up on a soap box right now saying they’d 'never do what @att is doing,' but from where I stand they’re doing the same thing." T-Mobile didn't comment further to us on Verizon. All Sprint would say on the subject is that it will market "real 5G that is standards based in the first half of 2019." 5G Americas President Chris Pearson declined comment on Verizon, as did CTIA and the Competitive Carriers Association.