AT&T started the ball rolling by complaining about T-Mobile’s claim of being “the most reliable 5G network”
All U.S. carriers make claims about their 5G networks based on third-party data
The NAD issues recommendations that do not carry the force of law. T-Mobile has said that it will appeal the ruling. The umlaut data that backs its claims are taken from handsets using software found in apps installed from the Google Play Store. The organization noted that umlaut’s testing consists of two coverage metrics and one speed metric. The NAD went on to say, “While NAD agreed that speed and coverage are important to consider when talking about 5G network reliability, speed and coverage alone cannot support a reliability claim.”
T-Mobile, for its part, has been complaining about AT&T and Verizon’s use of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). Previously, the carrier said that DSS allows “5G service to run simultaneously with 4G LTE on multiple spectrum bands. This new technology gives Verizon the ability to dynamically use its full portfolio of current spectrum resources to serve both 4G and 5G customers.”
The NAD says that by calling itself the most reliable 5G network, T-Mobile says that subscribers can access its 5G network and stay connected “for their intended purpose or to complete their task.” But the data used by umlaut was not a “good fit” to support a claim of being the most reliable 5G network because the data used came from 5G and non-5G networks.
The carrier added that “like other similarly situated advertisers, T-Mobile should be able to advertise this independent award. Because T-Mobile strongly disagrees with NAD’s recommendation that it not do so, it will appeal NAD’s decision.”
