AT&T and Sprint settle lawsuit over faux 5G branding
The terms of their settlement remain unclear, though.
To say AT&T's rivals were unhappy with its fake 5G branding is an understatement -- Sprint even filed a lawsuit against the carrier, accusing it of "blatantly misleading customers." The competitors must have hammered out a deal that's acceptable for both of them, though, because they've reached an amicable settlement a couple of months after the case was filed. Both carriers have confirmed the agreement to Engadget, but neither would talk about its details.
Sprint's lawsuit sought an injunction to prevent AT&T from using 5GE tags on its devices and advertising -- AT&T phones in areas with upgraded 4G or 5G Evolution coverage show 5GE when their data connections are switched on. According to Dallas Business Journal, though, the carrier will still be able to continue its 5G Evolution advertising and marketing campaigns. It's just unclear if it now has to clarify that 5GE isn't real 5G and if it has to release extra ad materials to clarify what the tag means.
When AT&T first debuted the 5GE tag, Verizon warned that "[t]he potential to over-hype and under-deliver on the 5G promise is a temptation that the wireless industry must resist." T-Mobile, on the other hand, poked fun at its rival and taped a 9G sticker onto an iPhone.