AT&T’s fake “5G” service sparks deceptive advertising lawsuit from Sprint

Some people have begun noticing “5G E” on their iPhones, leading them to believe they now have 5G wireless capabilities. Unfortunately, they don’t. This was all a big marketing ploy by AT&T. Many users have, of course, balked at this move, and now other carriers are getting involved.

Sprint is suing AT&T over its fake 5G service, calling it deceptive advertising, the Washington Post reports. In the suit, Sprint wrote, “The significance of AT&T’s deception cannot be overstated.”

AT&T claims the “E” in 5G E stands for “evolution,” implying that the company is, at some point in the future, going to implement the next wave of wireless service. Still, unwitting people who see the new name on their phones will certainly wonder if their devices are magically faster.

I reached out to AT&T for comment about the suit and will update this post if I hear back.

You can read the full Washington Post article here.