T-Mobile is appealing a recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs that it discontinue claims that its 5G network is most reliable.
AT&T had challenged several claims in T-Mobile ads and NAD had recommended T-Mobile stop claiming it was "America's....Most Reliable Network," as well as Verizon was stealing 4G bandwidth for 5G and the implied claims that 5G using DSS is inferior to low-band 5G using standalone spectrum and that T-Mobile's low-band 5G is a substantially different and better experience.
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T-Mobile had cited an independent audit report by umlaut (T-Mobile paid the company to use the results in the ad but did not commission the audit) that used crowdsourced data from mobile wireless customers. But NAD concluded that umlaut's methodology was not "a good fit" with T-Mobile's reliability claim saying that its speed and coverage metrics alone were not sufficient to draw that conclusion.
T-Mobile in its appeal said that “like other similarly situated advertisers, T-Mobile should be able to advertise this independent award."
Back in February, AT&T lost its own appeal of an NAD recommendation that it "either stop making the claim that it is "building 5G on America's best network," or clarify that the network is referring to its 4G network.
Wireless carriers keep NAD pretty busy with claims, counterclaims and appeals of their respective claims about wireless superiority. ■
