What 3G really means

Ksplice: "“Oh, I’m sorry sir. We’ve changed the labeling of that model. That phone doesn’t have true 3G. It doesn’t say that on the back any more. If you like I would be happy to sell you the next model, the SCP-6400, which has true 3G.”"

• What Sprint sold as “3G” in 2002 (1xRTT voice), it rescinded later that year and relabeled the phones.
• What counted as “3G” for Sprint in 2003 (1xRTT data), isn’t any more either.
• What in 2004 constituted “true ‘third generation’ (3G)” to Cingular/AT&T, the company had retroactively downgraded to 2G or 2.5G or 2.9G by 2007.

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