T-Mobile Should Stop Advertising 5G as More Reliable Than 4G, NARB Says

The appellate National Advertising Review Board upheld a decision by the lower National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs recommending T-Mobile discontinue claims implying that 5G is more reliable than 4G and that no 5G network is more reliable than T-Mobile’s, said the board Monday. NARB also wants T-Mobile to discontinue claims implying its 5G service is “generally available in locations that have traditionally been challenging for cellular service” and to stop denigrating other carriers’ 5G coverage as “so limited in any area as to cover only the space taken up by a single bench,” it said. NARB said T-Mobile’s superior coverage claims “did not imply overall network superiority, rejecting NAD’s conclusion that such claims required the disclosure of material differences,” it said. T-Mobile plans to comply with NARB’s recommendations and welcomes its decision that T-Mobile “can continue to advertise its superior 5G coverage without qualification,” the company said. Verizon, which challenged T-Mobile’s ad claims at the NAD, didn’t respond to questions.