How to Read the New 5G Names

5G is everywhere now, but if you look at all the names that go with 5G, i.e. 5Ge and 5G Ultra Capacity, it seems to come in a variety of flavors.

The monikers applied to the various 5G options are company specific.

Verizon is using the terms 5G Ultra Wideband, 5G Nationwide, and 5GTF.

5G Ultra wideband is the name Verizon has given to their 5G network that they have running in its own millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum.

5G Nationwide is the moniker that Verizon applied to its lowband 5G network. Verizon is using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in order to put both 4G and 5G signals in its lowband spectrum.

5GTF is the name of Verizon’s Home service that they run on their mmWave Spectrum. 

AT&T is sticking to the basic terms of 5G, 5G+, and 5Ge.

Though typically the term 5G is a generic name for 5G service of any type, 5G is also what AT&T calls their lowband 5G network.

5G+ is the term that AT&T has dubbed their own mmWave network.

5Ge is the name that AT&T changed their 4G LTE network to in 2018. This sketchy renaming business allowed AT&T to offer 5G to their customers without actually initially deploying a 5G network that would adhere to the official 5G technology standard.

T-Mobile has two general category names for their 5G options.

Extended Range 5G is the name that T-Mobile has given to their 5G network in its lowband 600MHz spectrum. This network supports slower speeds than mmWave or midband networks.

5G Ultra Capacity is the new brand that T-Mobile is using for their network that is running in the midband 2.5GHz spectrum that it acquired from Sprint. T-Mobile is also using this name for their highband, mmWave spectrum.

So, while these companies are coming up with lots of different names for their services, their 5G capabilities are pretty much all the same.

The 5G lowband spectrum extends signal much further than mmWave spectrum because of the physics of signal propagation. mmWave spectrum on the other hand is relatively limited in its reach with transmitters unable to reach receivers more than a few thousand feet away.

As always, if we can be of help with your network or computer, give us a call here at RHYNO Networks. (855) 749-6648