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I have an iPhone11. My phone says it connects to 5G already, so I’m actually confused by this launch. Why would iOS tell me I’m connected to 5G? I’ll be honest

I have an iPhone11. My phone says it connects to 5G already, so I’m actually confused by this launch. Why would iOS tell me I’m connected to 5G? I’ll be honest that I’m unfamiliar with this space

tenebrisalietum 6y ago
Telecom companies renamed some 4G networks 5G because they technically fall within the standard.
- freehunter 6y ago
  Which is silly because even most 4G networks (LTE) don’t technically fall within the original standard of 4G. ITU actually lowered the standard of 4G to meet the limitations of LTE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)).
coder543 6y ago
5Ge is a marketing term AT&T invented as a rebrand of 4G LTE. It isn't 5G, but it's probably faster than real 5G for now. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/atts-current-5g-is-slower-than-4g-in-nearly-every-city-tested-by-pcmag/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/atts-...
- soylentcola 6y ago
  I got stuck trying to explain (without being the annoying "well, actually" guy) why my SO's phone wasn't screwed up when switching from ATT to a different carrier. Because on the old SIM it said 5G dammit! Now it only says 4G so how is that not slower??
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  Apple deserves to be shamed for this one, as they implemented a feature that essentially allows carriers to lie and display whatever network technology icon they want, instead of displaying the true status as reported by the network interface.
  - huslage 6y ago
    This is a part of the standard, nothing really Apple can do about it.
    - Nextgrid 6y ago
      Source? It's the first time I hear that carriers are able to override the network technology/protocol logo. As far as I know the whole "carrier profile" thing (which is what allows carriers to do this, among other things like arbitrarily restrict tethering, etc) is Apple-specific.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        No the same capacities exist,though perhaps not under the same name, on Android; my S10+ dutifully switched from reporting 4G LTE to 5Ge when AT&T decided on that lie.
        Nextgrid 6y ago
        Android manufacturers are even worse when it comes to this as they let carriers customize the firmware completely (which then interferes with updates) and should also be shamed. This doesn't however say that this is some kind of standard; it's just OS manufacturers being in bed with carriers and doing them favors.
    - OkGoDoIt 6y ago
      I remember this rolled out with an update to iOS, so it’s not purely carrier-specific. Apple changed something in the operating system to allow it.
Spooky23 6y ago
AT&T defines LTE with better back haul as “5G”. It’s BS.

tenebrisalietum 6y ago

Telecom companies renamed some 4G networks 5G because they technically fall within the standard.

freehunter 6y ago
Which is silly because even most 4G networks (LTE) don’t technically fall within the original standard of 4G. ITU actually lowered the standard of 4G to meet the limitations of LTE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)).

coder543 6y ago

5Ge is a marketing term AT&T invented as a rebrand of 4G LTE. It isn't 5G, but it's probably faster than real 5G for now. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/atts-current-5g-is-slower-than-4g-in-nearly-every-city-tested-by-pcmag/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/atts-...

soylentcola 6y ago
I got stuck trying to explain (without being the annoying "well, actually" guy) why my SO's phone wasn't screwed up when switching from ATT to a different carrier. Because on the old SIM it said 5G dammit! Now it only says 4G so how is that not slower??
Nextgrid 6y ago
Apple deserves to be shamed for this one, as they implemented a feature that essentially allows carriers to lie and display whatever network technology icon they want, instead of displaying the true status as reported by the network interface.
- huslage 6y ago
  This is a part of the standard, nothing really Apple can do about it.
  - Nextgrid 6y ago
    Source? It's the first time I hear that carriers are able to override the network technology/protocol logo. As far as I know the whole "carrier profile" thing (which is what allows carriers to do this, among other things like arbitrarily restrict tethering, etc) is Apple-specific.
    - dragonwriter 6y ago
      No the same capacities exist,though perhaps not under the same name, on Android; my S10+ dutifully switched from reporting 4G LTE to 5Ge when AT&T decided on that lie.
      - Nextgrid 6y ago
        Android manufacturers are even worse when it comes to this as they let carriers customize the firmware completely (which then interferes with updates) and should also be shamed. This doesn't however say that this is some kind of standard; it's just OS manufacturers being in bed with carriers and doing them favors.
  - OkGoDoIt 6y ago
    I remember this rolled out with an update to iOS, so it’s not purely carrier-specific. Apple changed something in the operating system to allow it.

Spooky23 6y ago

AT&T defines LTE with better back haul as “5G”. It’s BS.