Carrier Apparently AT&T *doesn't* just blanket call LTE "5Ge" on newer devices. What's the difference?

[zorinlynx]

I've been used to seeing "5Ge" on my 11 Pro max since I got it, and figured that was just AT&T calling LTE on the newer device 5Ge for marketing purposes.

However, today I was in a different part of town and noticed it said "LTE"! Apparently AT&T *does* distinguish between what it calls "5Ge" and "LTE" on their network. What I'm curious about is if anyone knows the technical difference.

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

It is just LTE Advance with 4x4 MIMI and 256 QAM. Every other carrier also has this.

 

[Azathoth123]

Yes, I believe that’s right, they’re calling supporting LTE 4x4 MIMO as 5Ge

 

[gwhizkids]

I've been used to seeing "5Ge" on my 11 Pro max since I got it, and figured that was just AT&T calling LTE on the newer device 5Ge for marketing purposes.

However, today I was in a different part of town and noticed it said "LTE"! Apparently AT&T *does* distinguish between what it calls "5Ge" and "LTE" on their network. What I'm curious about is if anyone knows the technical difference.

I live in Western Connecticut, where we only have LTE. I frequently work in Boston, where 5G is prevalent, so I was aware of the difference. I also drive through Hartford, which has it as well.

The others have laid out the technical differences. Anecdotally, the 5G seems to be much fast faster (at times). I can get over 100 down on that and max out at about 60 down on my home LTE. But take that with a grain of salt, as the performance of each has so many dependent variables, that my comparison is probably not worth much.

I’m not sure if it is directly related, but you can see how they will differ in rolling out 5G to rural areas based on how they’ve deployed 5Ge. I’m not going to count on any flavor of 5G here for a long time.

 

[Drak3]

New hardware with a few technical specs that fall between 5G and LTE. Functionally the same as (and compatible with) LTE now, but theoretically compatible with 5G as they actually roll it out.

 

[CaptMarvel]

I was just about to post about the 5Ge identifier. Today at work, I noticed 5Ge on my 11 Pro Max, which has only said LTE since the release of the latest iPhone. I supposed the rollout is happening as I never saw it on my iPhone X at all in that same area.

 

[ecschwarz]

I was just about to post about the 5Ge identifier. Today at work, I noticed 5Ge on my 11 Pro Max, which has only said LTE since the release of the latest iPhone. I supposed the rollout is happening as I never saw it on my iPhone X at all in that same area.

It seems they've changed the indicator in a lot of areas over the last two months or so. I seem to recall that there was some distinction that a certain number of cell sites in an area had to be upgraded before they'd change the indicator, making that more of a formality, rather than the moment the new hardware is lit up. In my area, there were some spots where I was able to get 250Mbps+ off a tower with my iPhone 8 Plus and it was still showing "LTE" and changed to "5GE" about a month later.

Although it was a long time ago, I think AT&T did something similar with their change from 3G->"4G"—upgrades to HSPA+ ("4G") warranted the change and by the time they were done, there were very few UTMS (3G) sites left. It happened quickly enough that it did seem like it was just an indicator change across the board.