We know 4G, and we know 5G, but what exactly is 5GE?

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The world is constantly evolving, and technology is evolving too. Due to the way technology evolves and a lot of tech gadgets requiring an internet connection, there is always the constant need to create faster and much more capable broadband cellular network technology.

In 1991, 2G was introduced to everyone. And in 2001, ten years after the introduction of 2G, 3G was introduced to everyone, although it was not adopted in many countries until 2002. Then in 2009, 4G was brought into the limelight. 

The introduction of 4G meant overall faster internet speed, lower latency, and improved communications. A decade after the introduction of 4G, 5G became popular. Nowadays, many countries, manufacturers, and tech gurus are calling for the widespread adoption of 5G because of the vast benefits the technology offers.

With the rising popularity of 5G, some telecom companies are promoting 5GE. So, what exactly is 5GE, how is it different from the much more popular 5G?

6 Facts About 5GE

  • 5GE means 5th Generation Evolution.5G Evolution is a marketing technique by AT&T, not an actual 5G network.5GE offers more smartphone compatibility than 5G.The average speed of AT&T’s 5GE phones is around 28mbps.5GE is an improved version of the popular LTE. 5GE is also referred to as LTE+ or LTE Advanced.

What is 5GE?

5G Evolution is another name for an advanced version of LTE. It was initially introduced to the world by AT&T as a marketing technique. 5GE utilizes technologies such as 256 QAM and MIMO configuration. Even though it is not an actual 5G service, 5GE offers a faster internet speed compared to the regular 4G. 

Apart from its speed, 5GE also shows reduced latency and offers a better user experience for its users, unlike the regular 4G.

How to Use 5G Evolution

Connecting to 5G Evolution is the same way you would connect to a regular LTE network. All you need is a smartphone that supports LTE+. It is important to know that the network could either display as 5GE or LTE+ on your phone, depending on your internet service provider.

How Does 5GE Work?

5GE, which is also known as LTE Advanced, is a mobile network that offers higher connectivity than the standard LTE. Unlike regular 4G, 5G Evolution utilizes multiple signals and multiple antennas.

It works by using MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technologies to deliver data in a quicker and more efficient method. MIMO works by using multiple antennas to receive signals. 

5G Evolution offers its users a higher cellular bandwidth and has a peak download speed of 1 Gbps. It uses QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) -256 to transmit its data. The usage of QAM -256 makes it possible to transmit a much larger number of bits across the network. 

The combination of carrier aggregation and multiple signals allows for a device to receive multiple 4G signals at once even if they are on different frequencies, unlike the standard 4G. 5GE / LTE Advanced works a lot faster than the regular 4G. 

The Difference Between 5G Evolution and 5G

While both 5G Evolution and 5G are wireless connectivity networks, there are several major distinctions between them. One of the main differences between 5GE and 5G is their technology. 5G is the latest mobile networking technology while 5GE is another name for 4G LTE-A, which is only an advanced version of 4G.

Another major difference between 5G Evolution and 5G is that 5G is available to all major internet service providers while 5GE is used by AT&T as a part of their marketing campaign. 

Internet speed is another major distinction between 5G Evolution and 5G. 5G offers a faster internet speed than 5GE. It offers a download speed of 100 Mbps on average and a peak download speed of 20 Gbps, while 5GE, also LTE-Advanced, offers an average of 30Mbps and a peak download speed of 1Gbps.

5G also offers more reduced latency than 5G Evolution. It runs at less than 1ms latency while 5GE runs at less than 5ms latency. 

5G Evolution is also compatible with smartphones that support the 4G network that has been released since 2009, while 5G is not compatible with many smartphones. It is only available to people who use 5G-compatible smartphones. 

5GE: Its Release History

5G Evolution was introduced by AT&T in 2019 when there was arousing interest in 5G technology. For many internet service providers, upgrading to 5G would require major infrastructural upgrades. 

However, AT&T jumped the gun. As a part of its marketing efforts, AT&T decided to label its upgraded 4G/LTE network as the “5G Evolution”, even though it is not 5G at all. 

The label ‘5GE’ made many people confused and some started believing their phones were capable of using 5G coverage. An example is Apple. Apple introduced the iPhone 12 series in 2020, which was the first iPhone series to utilize 5G technology. iPhone XS users using AT&T however had already been seeing the 5GE icon on their devices since 2019. 

The announcement of 5G Evolution made everyone initially excited as people thought they had access to a new exclusive internet. However, their excitement wore off after the 5G Evolution did not live up to its high expectations. 

AT&T stopped advertising its famous ‘5GE’ in 2020 after releasing an actual 5G network. However, AT&T customers still see the 5GE icon o their phones wherever there isn’t a 5G network. 

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