AT&T’s creepy looking Nashville building. You could fit the Eye of Sauron in there.
5G is a brand new technology that can promise wireless speeds as fast as most in-home ethernet connections. It’ll be a popular marketing technique for phones in 2019 and 2020. However, AT&T wants to get a head start. They won’t have 5G phones yet, or a wide rollout of 5G technology, but they did work out a way to improve the efficiency of their LTE networks. They’ll market this as “5G E” on their phones. This is in no way 5G technology, it’s 4G technology made slightly more efficient.
It’s a marketing ploy, and you shouldn’t fall for it.
History Repeats
If this sounds familiar, it’s because AT&T tried to do the same scam before. When LTE was first introduced, Verizon had the jump on AT&T. AT&T therefore released a slightly more efficient 3G technology called HSPA+. They marketed it as “4G.” This is why most marketing now has to specify “4G LTE.” Because, if they didn’t, you’d think it was AT&T’s sorry excuse for 4G instead of real 4G technology.
Techies caught on to AT&T’s deception, but most non-techies bought into it. AT&T was able to retain their users, despite their significantly slower “4G.” They’re doing the same thing now with 5G, and users won’t be impressed.
It’s sad, there’s a new technology that should be exciting. Consumers should be happy to upgrade and see the exciting new wireless speeds their phones are capable of. Instead, they’ll find disappointment. AT&T’s surprisingly good at disappointment.
Source: Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge