04-22-2019, 09:43 PM
Sprint, AT&T reach settlement in lawsuit over rebranding 4G as ‘5G E’
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e.jpg" width="1" height="1" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p><!-- font size selector, BEGIN --> <span class="cfix"> </span> </p>
<p class="gray small byline"> By <a href="https://appleinsider.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f7d696661686e7c4f68626e6663216c6062">Roger Fingas</a> <br /><span class="gray">Monday, April 22, 2019, 04:27 pm PT (07:27 pm ET)</span> </p>
<p> <span><span class="article-leader">A settlement has emerged in Sprint’s lawsuit against AT&T, which accused the rival carrier of “blatantly misleading consumers” with its use of the term “5G E” to market high-speed 4G connections.<br /></span></p>
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<div class="article-img"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e.jpg" alt="AT&T 5G E on iPhone" height="466" class="lazy" data-original="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e-1.jpg"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e-1.jpg"></div>
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<p>“We have amicably settled this matter,” an AT&T spokesperson <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2019/04/22/at-t-sprint-5ge-deception-case.html">explained</a> to the <em>Dallas Business Journal</em>. The exact terms of the agreement haven’t been made public.</p>
<p>AT&T will, however, get to keep using “5G E,” according to other <em>Journal</em> sources. If true, that would suggest Sprint was compensated or simply decided to drop legal action.</p>
<p>AT&T <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/09/att-lying-to-customers-by-showing-5g-e-on-devices-under-fire-from-other-carriers">first began using “5G E”</a> around early January, for instance showing the label on connected iPhones. That drew an outcry not just from Sprint but T-Mobile and Verizon, all of which have held off on the 5G label outside of authentic networks.</p>
<p>U.S. 5G is still in its earliest phases. Verizon has marginal coverage in Chicago and Minneapolis, and while AT&T did launch real 5G in December, that’s only in the form of a portable hotspot — phone support is still in progress.</p>
<p>iPhones aren’t expected to include 5G modems <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/16/apple-to-integrate-qualcomms-5g-chips-in-iphone-by-2020-report-says">until 2020</a>. That may be a result the now-ended Apple v. Qualcomm battle, as well as slow development by Intel. Indeed Intel <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/16/intel-exits-smartphone-modem-business-on-heels-of-apple-qualcomm-settlement">dropped out of the 5G race</a> shortly after the Qualcomm settlement.</p>
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<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e.jpg" width="1" height="1" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p><!-- font size selector, BEGIN --> <span class="cfix"> </span> </p>
<p class="gray small byline"> By <a href="https://appleinsider.com/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0f7d696661686e7c4f68626e6663216c6062">Roger Fingas</a> <br /><span class="gray">Monday, April 22, 2019, 04:27 pm PT (07:27 pm ET)</span> </p>
<p> <span><span class="article-leader">A settlement has emerged in Sprint’s lawsuit against AT&T, which accused the rival carrier of “blatantly misleading consumers” with its use of the term “5G E” to market high-speed 4G connections.<br /></span></p>
<div align="center">
<div class="article-img"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e.jpg" alt="AT&T 5G E on iPhone" height="466" class="lazy" data-original="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e-1.jpg"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sprint-att-reach-settlement-in-lawsuit-over-rebranding-4g-as-5g-e-1.jpg"></div>
<p><span class="minor2 small gray"></span></div>
<p>“We have amicably settled this matter,” an AT&T spokesperson <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2019/04/22/at-t-sprint-5ge-deception-case.html">explained</a> to the <em>Dallas Business Journal</em>. The exact terms of the agreement haven’t been made public.</p>
<p>AT&T will, however, get to keep using “5G E,” according to other <em>Journal</em> sources. If true, that would suggest Sprint was compensated or simply decided to drop legal action.</p>
<p>AT&T <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/01/09/att-lying-to-customers-by-showing-5g-e-on-devices-under-fire-from-other-carriers">first began using “5G E”</a> around early January, for instance showing the label on connected iPhones. That drew an outcry not just from Sprint but T-Mobile and Verizon, all of which have held off on the 5G label outside of authentic networks.</p>
<p>U.S. 5G is still in its earliest phases. Verizon has marginal coverage in Chicago and Minneapolis, and while AT&T did launch real 5G in December, that’s only in the form of a portable hotspot — phone support is still in progress.</p>
<p>iPhones aren’t expected to include 5G modems <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/16/apple-to-integrate-qualcomms-5g-chips-in-iphone-by-2020-report-says">until 2020</a>. That may be a result the now-ended Apple v. Qualcomm battle, as well as slow development by Intel. Indeed Intel <a href="https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/16/intel-exits-smartphone-modem-business-on-heels-of-apple-qualcomm-settlement">dropped out of the 5G race</a> shortly after the Qualcomm settlement.</p>
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