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by Havoc 4778 days ago
We might as well drop the whole ?G classification. Since the US carriers started branding stuff 4G that wasn't anywhere close to spec its been a free for all.

Marketing aside, the tech might have merit in its own right though. I think the Ka band isn't available for use in my country though...
2 comments
sp332 4778 days ago
4G actually means something, it's just not enforceable. The trouble is, the trademark was not acquired in time before it became a "generic term" which means anyone can call anything 4G.
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Havoc 4778 days ago
>4G actually means something, it's just not enforceable.

So? Its still entirely dead. More than that...they falsely claimed 4G and made millions off it. Yes its still means something from a technical point of view, but the concept in its true form is dead to the world - though very profitable.

>the trademark was not acquired in time

How do you propose trademarking a two character term that refers to a multiple of the gravitational constant? (It doesn't but in a courtroom many things are possible...)

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sp332 4778 days ago
Trademarks are registered for specific classes of goods and services, and don't apply outside of that class. That's why Apple could have a computer called a Macintosh even though McIntosh was already a registered trademark for a kind of apple. Also why they could use the term "Apple" without infringing the Apple Corps record group's trademark - until they started selling iPods.
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300bps 4778 days ago
Even people who should "know better" were fooled by AT&T claims of being 4G on the iPhone 4s:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-57408432-266/is-the-at-t-i...

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Havoc 4778 days ago
Not to judge the Americans too harshly, but it seems to invariably be American companies who spin this bullsht. In other countries the carriers at least have the decency to call it LTE (with 4G sometimes mentioned in brackets).

As for the article linked - I wouldn't even call that "fooled by". That implies that there was a plausible case & the journalist was deceived via some active plot. If the reporter had done even vague research as to what 4G is (the topic of his article [lol]) then he/she would have smelled a rat. That to me is a straight up failure as a journalist, rather than "fooled by".

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300bps 4778 days ago
Your point is correct but I was actually speaking more broadly. Specifically, there is a friend of mine who has 3 CCIE certifications and actually works at Cisco. He knows more about wired and wireless networks than anyone I know. But his wife's iPhone 4s with AT&T showed a "4G" signal when it was connected so he just assumed it was legitimate 4G.
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