Further evidence has surfaced indicating that AT&T’s 5G E marketing tactic isn’t actually a 5G network. A recent test by the industry analysis firm, OpenSignal, shows that not only is AT&T’s pseudo 5G not running at 5G level speeds, it may actually be slower than the latest 4G LTE technologies being used by rival carriers.

Comparing the speeds of “5E capable devices” on AT&T’s network, OpenSignal concluded that the standard performs better than devices running lower level 4G. However, 5E falls slightly short when tested alongside the fastest 4G LTE speeds on Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile.  

AT&T began adding “5G E” or 5G Evolution logos to its Android smartphones in December 2018 and received considerable backlash for this move. In addition to heavy media criticism, AT&T is being sued by Sprint for false advertising. The network insists it has done nothing wrong, in that it is not marketing 5G E as true 5G, but as as network step before 5G.

These claims may still be false if AT&T’s 5E is slower than current 4G LTE networks. Several of the most advanced LTE technologies including carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO, LAA, and 256 QAM are already called “pre-5G” but still fall under the umbrella of 4G.