Smart may confuse public with 5G ad, says experts

Photo by Kelvinsong / Wikimedia Commons

MANILA — Smart Communications was recently called out by mobile sector watchers across the globe for claiming that it offers 5G mobile services in the country.

According to them, an internet connection with 5G speed won’t be available in the next 10 years or so. Moreover, they say that the move is nothing but an advertising catch-all term.

Peter Bryer, a blogger with mobile market analysis firm CCS Insight, said that the announcement of Smart about its LTE-A (Long Term Evolution – Advanced) services is usually referred to as 5G by global operators. However, “searches on some major operator Web sites don’t always back that up, but there’s definitely a great deal of confusion in the media about the terminology.”

He added, “Specifics of 5G services have not been defined yet and the standards are likely to be a decade away from completion, but consumers will be overloaded by the hype as more LTE-A networks go live.”

Android Authority, a news website that deals with anything on android, said that there are others that did the same with Smart. They created a catchphrase before they can actually offer the service or speed needed. In other words, the 5G as claimed by Smart, could be the equivalent of accepted 4G speeds from a definition a couple of years back.

As a conclusion, Bryer expressed his fear with regard to the confusion it may bring to the consumers as “the lack of formal definitions and rules makes it tempting for operators and hardware makers to embellish network upgrades with bigger numbers than might be technically accurate.”

“It’s a reasonable marketing strategy in the short run,” he added, “but will lead to confusion over time.”