AT&T Attempts A Head Fake With 'Fake 5G'

from the tomato,-tomahto dept

Wed, Jan 2nd 2019 6:03am — Karl Bode

We've already gone over how fifth-generation "5G" wireless, while a notable improvement in network speed and performance, has been obnoxiously over-hyped by hardware vendors and cellular carriers. We've also noted that in reality, broad availability of 5G-capable handsets and networks are still quite a few years away, and when products do arrive, they won't, contrary to some claims, magically fix the myriad of problems deeply woven into the U.S. broadband industry, most of which have to do with lobbyist political power and the monopoly domination of cellular tower backhaul.

AT&T's been among the biggest hype generators for 5G, even though its early offerings on this front, while fast, tend to suffer from high prices and low usage caps (did you expect something else?). In addition to over-hyping 5G's impact, AT&T has been busy both distorting what 5G actually is... and dramatically over-stating actual availability. For example, last year AT&T introduced what it called "5G Evolution" wireless connectivity, which wasn't actually 5G, but a collection of tech (specifically 4x4 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antenna and 256 QAM technologies) that simply made existing LTE networks somewhat faster.

AT&T's since taken this head fake to an entirely new level. Last week, for example, AT&T began replacing the "LTE" (4G) notifier on many users phones with a "5G E" symbol, despite its phones and networks not actually being upgraded to 5G yet:

In short, AT&T is taking some modest network improvements to existing 4G LTE networks, and confidently calling them 5G, knowing full well the Pai FCC isn't likely to do much of anything about it. Confusing customers into thinking AT&T's ahead in the 5G "race" (which isn't a race) appears to be the whole point:

"AT&T last year introduced the “5G Evolution” marketing label to cover markets where it offers advanced LTE network technologies like carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, LAA and 256 QAM. Such technologies can dramatically improve the speeds available through LTE, and AT&T has argued that such technologies pave the way for eventual 5G services, though critics have argued that AT&T’s “5G Evolution” marketing moves only serve to sow confusion among consumers."

If you've been around the wireless sector for a while, you might recall that earlier generation standards also played fast and loose with actual definitions. Carrier marketing departments, for example, eventually convinced the UN's International Telecommunication Union that it was fine to pretty much call whatever they wanted "4G", since confusing and misleading customers, or over-stating product availability (as any cellular carrier coverage map will tell you), has never really been considered a bad thing in telecom.

The one-two punch of over-promising what 5G actually delivers (like this story which proclaims it will bring 4 day workweeks to us all) while distorting the very definition of 5G, is likely to leave a sour taste in consumers' mouths once they realize the canyon-esque gap between marketing hype and reality (especially on pricing, which is rarely discussed). And this is, of course, before you tack on the inevitable arbitrary restrictions and limitations AT&T hopes to erect in the wake of the death of real FCC oversight and net neutrality protections.

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Filed Under: 4g, 5g, 5g e, false advertising, fcc, lte, wireless
Companies: at&t

36 Comments

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DannyB (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:11am

AT&T is always innovating
The marketing department is working very hard on 6G. I'm going to hold off and wait for 6G which will be along soon, and will be Sooooo much better than puny 5G.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:23am

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I don't know what you're all complaining about...It can't be too early to push 5G, especially with 6G coming up...now if only AT&T could speed up its 8G implementation...7G is really starting to show its limitations
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:32am

5Ge?
5Ge sounds like an upgrade level for their phones. Finally get folks off of legacy plans that are not as profitable.

There are a lot of folks who have older unlimited plans. I get free roaming in North America, free hotspot, no stream saver (so full HD video), and so on.

I see this as another push to get folks like me to move. No 5Ge for me unless I "upgrade" to an inferior plan to what I have now in extras, and costs more per month.

I expect them to continue down that path, slowing LTE speeds, until it gets so frustrating that I just move to the new plan. Or working with folks like Apple and Google so new phones only accept 5G plans.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:35am

Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm personally waiting for either AT&T or Comcast to start pushing Ultra-HD wifi or Phone service (alternate name: 4K wifi).

It is no different than current wifi or 5G cell phone plans, but it will use fancy sounding words to make it sound expensive.

You have that fancy new 4K TV you just got for the holidays, don't you want the best wifi to stream 4K content to it?
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wshuff (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:44am

I’m thinking I’ll be able to use wifi calling on Elon Musk’s space satellite wifi service before 5G gets here for realz.
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 6:59am

Not the only one
Verizon has been advertising for 5G wireless broadband for several weeks now. I wonder how many 'ooh, shiny' purchases got made?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:08am

Re:
Nah. 5G will come far before Musk's wifi service comes.

He will launch a "test satellite" that consists of a wifi router strapped to a tin can, call it "a revolutionary test of the capability of the launch system" and get fawning coverage from the techbro press. Then when nothing happens after that, he will complain how all of the international governing bodies won't let him just broadcast into unused spectrums without their authority.

Then he will see another shiny object he can spend a ton of other people's money on.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:29am

Both AT&T and Verizon have been pumping out commercial ads stating that they are developing the first 5G networks. Last night, i think during the Rose Bowl, AT&T ran an ad pretty much stating they have 5G now.

They are all so full of shit.
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Corey, 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:34am

I'm good
at@t is by far the most expensive service out there. I visited them last fall to price them. They are proud of their network. With spring and t-mobile merging and thus catching up, they need a marketing advantage why not lie?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:43am

Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Certainly one will need to purchase some of those over priced 5G cables.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:45am

I'm not sure exactly what 5G is supposed to address other than the bottom line for telcom. What "problems" will be fixed?
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TheOldHippie (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 7:57am

Re:
The biggest problem of all, they don't have all your money.
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PaulT (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 8:14am

Re: Re:
"Nah. 5G will come far before Musk's wifi service comes. "

"5G", sure. Something that truly deserves the tase as a next gen system and not a marketing term use to justify overcharging for a barely incremental increase in service? Not so much.

"Then he will see another shiny object he can spend a ton of other people's money on."

You do realise that almost all businesses spend "other peoples' money", right, especially in the early R&D phases of products? Even corporations with cash positive cashflow tend to borrow money from banks or investors rather than use their own cash.
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James Burkhardt (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 8:19am

Re:
Well, it will fix competition issues by being fast enough to replace broadband, it will have so much bandwidth is solves congestion issues, and can sell you the London Bridge for a steal.
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James Burkhardt (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 8:30am

Re: Re: Re:

Even corporations with cash positive cashflow tend to borrow money from banks or investors rather than use their own cash.

Payroll is a great example. Most direct deposit systems rely on the processor (quickbooks, ADP, ect) paying the employees, and the company paying the processor, but the payment to employees happens before those funds clear.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 8:36am

Four-day work week

When our commute time becomes part of the working day, the extra hours accumulated and work done on the road will also make a four-day work week more feasible.

1794: When the cotton gin... 1804: When the steam locomotive... 1812: When gas-lighting street lamps... 1824: When Portland concrete... 1838: When the telegraph... 1876: When the telephone... 1879: When electric lights... 1886: When the automobile... 1903: When heavier-than-air aircraft... 1913: When the assembly line... 1952: When the mainframe computer... 1974: When the personal computer... 1983: When the cellular telephone... 1985: When the laptop computer... 1996: When the personal digital assistant... 2007: When the smartphone...
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 8:56am

...Couldn't the FTC hit them for deceptive, unfair, or misleading marketing practices at this point?
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 9:01am

Re:
Others have mentioned that there doesn't appear to be an actual standard for 5G written yet. If that is true, then what would the FTC compare current claims to in order to determine if the marketing is actually hype, for legal reasons. Now the rest of us might have an understanding that it is in fact hype, but could we take that into a court of law and prove it?
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JoeCool (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 9:17am

Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Meh, I'm waiting for 3D 5G. Some much better than regular 5G.
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Glenn, 2 Jan 2019 @ 9:23am

Shouldn't that be

from the [not] to-may-to, [nor] to-mah-to dept

?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 9:51am

Re: Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Dude, CURVED 3D 5G is the new hotness.
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John85851 (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 10:20am

Re: AT&T is always innovating
Why wait until actual 5G or 6G is here when the marketing department and programmers can slap any label on their phones. Why not call it "10G"- it's not the government's going to do anything about false advertising.

And even if someone complains, AT&T can simply say the 5G, 6G, and 10G labels are "puffery" and people should know they're only getting the speeds they paid for in their contract.
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got_runs? (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 10:33am

"Once a cheater, alway a cheater."
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Slow Joe Crow, 2 Jan 2019 @ 10:52am

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jan 2nd, 2019 @ 8:56am
The FTC has all the will and force of a jellyfish, don't expect them to save you.
I used to have an AT&T cell plan, but now I get my AT&T service from Straight Talk for half the price, thus using one evil empire to shaft another.
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Bamboo Harvester (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:01am

Re: Re:
I'm still looking for the Standard. So far, there isn't one - just marketing hype.

They could claim it has Smellivision or cures cancer without an actual Standard.
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James Burkhardt (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:25am

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jan 2nd, 2019 @ 8:56am
To be fair, they have been hemmed in for years by the courts into very narrow, subjective standards that make successfully prosecuting such a case difficult, and further hemmed in by budget cuts from congress.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:27am

Re: Re: Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It has to have rounded corners tho
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:31am

Re: Re: Re:
smellivision - lol

Will answering machines in the future be able to block this feature?
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ECA (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:56am

Re: AT&T is always innovating
I'll wait for the More advanced format After that...
It will require a Whole new antenna system have a Much shorter range, Cost about 3 times the amount of energy to power, and Cost about 10 times the price..
Its called signal flags.. then Semaphore...
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Bamboo Harvester (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 11:56am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Eh, I'm probably going to get sued for copyright violation over that - "Smellivision replaces television!" was a newspaper headline in a WWII-circa Bugs Bunny cartoon.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2019 @ 12:45pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wouldn't they have to license Apple's patent for those?
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Ajit Pai, 2 Jan 2019 @ 1:05pm

Re: I'm good
why not lie?

You're welcome.
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stderric (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 1:24pm

Re: Four-day work week
Those promises have come true: over the years, I've known plenty of people who've managed to score four-day work week jobs. Sure, they usually needed to work at least two at a time, but, you know, details... ;)
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William Fence-Openings, 2 Jan 2019 @ 3:03pm

Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have 7G and they keep nagging me to upgrade it to 10G, but then eventually I'll only be able to download data via their "approved apps" store. Obviously the Marketing department will never call it "XG Gatekeeper version".

Maybe we'd all be happier with "5G Insurrection"?
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DeComposer (profile), 2 Jan 2019 @ 3:04pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh great. So now we're going to have 5G with a notch?
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Goddey Oraejesi, 3 Jan 2019 @ 3:51am

Ideals
What can we do
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