By Bevin Fletcher ECN
As the 5G marketing wars continue to play out, Verizon CTO Kyle Malady penned an open letter pressing the wireless industry to commit to more precisely defined labeling of 5G to avoid confusion about the next-gen technology.
“We’re calling on the broad wireless industry to commit to labeling something 5G only if new device hardware is connecting to the network using new radio technology to deliver new capabilities,” Malady wrote (emphasis Verizon’s).
In the letter, titled “When we say ‘5G,’ we mean 5G,” he noted that the potential for 5G is great, but warns that if industry players “engage in behavior designed to purposefully confuse” the public about what the technology truly is they run the risk of alienating consumers and the investment community.