There are very specific specifications for cellular standards outlined by the 3GPP for 5G. But very much like 4G, the actual specifications become a very gray area as companies roll out the new technology and marketing groups get a hold of the messaging. With the implementation of 4G, many companies took liberties in saying they had 4G networks even though they did not meet the performance specifications of the 3GPP standard, just so they could be first to market (or at least an early provider). This is already happening now with 5G.

Verizon was the first to launch commercial scale 5G service with its mmWave Fixed Wireless Access service in several cities in the US last October, but in an effort to be first, they used a proprietary 5G specification, since the actual spec had not yet been defined. They came as close to the specification as they could, including the performance levels. AT&T made a big deal that their 5G service released at the end of 2018 was the first standards compliant 5G network in the US. South Korea “turned on” their 5G network, but there will probably not be any smartphones available until March.

As the first of the year rolled around, AT&T has broken their 5G implementation into several steps, including 5G E (5G Evolution), 5G and 5G+. This seems logical, but they claim their improvements are already enabling faster speeds on our existing LTE network and calling it 5G E. They are notifying consumers that their current phones may indicate this network is being used now (even though they are on 4G networks and using 4G smartphones). They are stating that enhancements like carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, and 256 QAM are in place to make data transmission more efficient on some of their current 4G LTE networks so are able to call it 5G E. These are all 4G LTE or LTE Advanced elements that they are claiming are 5G E and live in 400+ markets. So your smartphone may start displaying the 5G E indicator even though this is 4G LTE technology.

T-Mobile has also gotten into the mix by blasting Verizon’s and AT&T’s 5G approach as networks for the few, while their low, mid and high band spectrum approach is the only real solution for wide area 5G deployment in the US. They say that their approach is the only one that will provide 5G to everyone, everywhere, while the others would only be able to provide limited access to 5G networks. Either way, we won’t see 5G phones until later this year, as the present 5G service is limited to puck like or tablet devices.

So the marketing machines have taken over the messaging of 5G and blurring the lines of 5G, so expect much more of this to come throughout the year, as the cellular providers stake their claims to other 5G launches. Don’t be surprised if your current phone starts saying you are connected to a 5G network, even though you are on a 4G phone and using an existing 4G LTE network.