By Adi Robertson
\nTHE VERGE<\/p>\n
AT&T and Sprint have settled a lawsuit over AT&T\u2019s \u201c5G Evolution\u201d branding, which Sprint claimed was fooling customers into believing its 4G LTE network was a full-fledged 5G network. \u201cWe have amicably settled this matter,\u201d an AT&T spokesperson\u00a0told the\u00a0Dallas Business Journal<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u2014 which cited anonymous sources saying that AT&T would keep using \u201c5G E\u201d in its marketing material. AT&T and Sprint also confirmed its statement to\u00a0The Verge<\/em>.<\/p>\n Earlier this year<\/a>, AT&T started displaying a \u201c5G E\u201d logo on certain upgraded parts of its LTE network. The phones weren\u2019t actually connecting to 5G networks, and the move was roundly derided:\u00a0T-Mobile<\/a>,\u00a0Verizon<\/a>, and\u00a0Sprint<\/a>\u00a0all criticized AT&T\u2019s new logo, with Sprint\u2019s CTO claiming it was \u201cblatantly misleading consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n A month later,\u00a0Sprint sued AT&T\u00a0<\/a>for false advertising, citing a survey where more than half of participants (incorrectly) said AT&T\u2019s 5G E network had comparable speeds to real 5G. This was a bitter pill for Sprint, which is supposedly\u00a0just a month away<\/a>\u00a0from launching its own 5G network. AT&T defended itself from the charges, arguing that it had clearly distinguished the term from normal 5G, and that \u201ccustomers want and deserve to know when they are getting better speeds.\u201d<\/p>\n Both companies declined to discuss the agreement beyond noting that it was amicable, so we don\u2019t know what the terms of the settlement were. It doesn\u2019t sound like AT&T is changing its practices, and we don\u2019t know whether it compensated Sprint in some way, or if Sprint essentially just dropped the case.<\/p>\n 5G is still more promise than reality for most customers. Verizon has rolled out a network in Chicago and Minneapolis, but\u00a0it\u2019s extremely spotty<\/a>.\u00a0T-Mobile delayed<\/a>\u00a0its main 5G launch to the second half of the year, when it will have phones that take advantage of the network. AT&T debuted a true 5G network back in December, and it\u2019s available in 19 cities. But you\u00a0can\u2019t use it with any phones yet<\/a>, just a mobile hotspot that\u2019s not widely available.<\/p>\n Even though all the carriers have been arguably guilty of over-hyping their 5G progress, though, the \u201c5G E\u201d logo introduction was unusually egregious \u2014 and now it looks like AT&T won\u2019t be going to court over it.<\/p>\n
\nAT&T WILL KEEP USING \u20185G E\u2019 IN ITS MARKETING MATERIAL<\/q><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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