Can 5G Icon cause some confusions?

My friend: Hi Ibrahim, I have a big problem.

Me: What is it?

My friend: The CEO is complaining of having low throughput while he was using the 5G service.

Me: How did you know that he was camping on the 5G network?

My friend: He sent us a snapshot showing 5G icon on his phone while testing.

Me: Actually, as our network is using NSA, so the 5G icon means simply that the upper layer indication received via SIB2 in LTE is set to true and so 5G icon can be displayed based on the UE configuration which is different from one UE vendor to another. There are some recommendations from GSMA that are sent to 3GPP regarding the appearance of 5G icon, but it is not accepted by 3GPP yet. So, some phones are displaying the 5G icon even there is no 5G coverage exists. Please just go to the same location where complaint happened and check the 5G coverage using our drive test tools.

After few hours….

My friend: You are right, there was no 5G coverage in this spot, only 4G coverage, and all configuration towards 5G is defined from 4G eNB side. Thanks a lot, you saved my day.

My friend: Thanks a lot.

Me: You are welcomed. Source: Ibrahim Sayed Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibrahim-sayed-88a7747-5g/