Why does my phone usually show 5G ?

[Wayworn]

I’m not complaining but since I have a 4G plan why does my phone most of the time show 5G and sometimes shows LTE. Does this mean that at times I do get 5G Speeds?

[funpig1]

@Wayworn 

When I was having an issue with drop calls, a Telus support agent telephoned me in response to a support ticket. They advised that switching from 5G (recommended) to LTE MAY reduce the number of dropped calls during periods of network congestion.

They also advised that the 5G range from the tower is much less than LTE. If your location is too far from the tower, your phone will search for 5G before accepting LTE. Using 5G will reduce the phone battery life. And for everyday usage, the speed difference between 5G and LTE is not noticeable, unless you are close to the tower and you need to download a huge data file.

[Wayworn]

Wow from exact the same location I switched from 5G auto to LTE and instantly from 2 bars my phone went to full bars .

[umnikke8]

4G and 5G currently largely use the same frequency bands. In general higher frequencies don't travel as far and don't work as well indoors, however they can support more bandwidth and more users. Lower frequencies travel further and work better indoors. Most often these days providers are deploying a mix of frequencies.

[Wayworn]

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@eddieO wrote:

@Wayworn found this post from last year: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/5G-Phone-on-4G-Plan-Inquiry/td-p/993013

Sounds like it might be better to leave it on 4G if for no other reason other than possible saving battery as constantly searching for 5G might drain a bit faster and the phone seems to run warmer

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Another interesting  regarding 5G I found on google ------------>Difference and contrast. The 4G frequency band is relatively short, but it has a good ability to penetrate walls. Although the 5G frequency band is longer and the ability to penetrate walls is weak, the anti-interference ability is stronger than that of the 4G antenna..

[eddieO]

@Wayworn found this post from last year: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/5G-Phone-on-4G-Plan-Inquiry/td-p/993013

Sounds like it might be better to leave it on 4G if for no other reason other than possible saving battery as constantly searching for 5G might drain a bit faster and the phone seems to run warmer

[Wayworn]

• Am under the impression that if you’re on a 4g plan you should select LTE (4G) and that would speed up the phone because it won’t be searching for 5G first and also save battery life. Am I wrong?

UPDATE: The answer was right on my phones settings - cut and pasting .

[Wayworn]

My phone almost all the time no matter where I am shows 5G network. I do have it set on 5G auto. Would I be better to set it to 4G?

[softech]

@EB0 the 5G+ showing on the phone related with the specific 5G bands your phone connected to and is different from the 5G+ plan that Telus is selling

[EB0]

Your phone will show the speed related to the coverage area in your location mine sometimes shows 5G+ even Public mobile doesn’t have 5G+ plan.

some phone drains battery fast if it’s set to 5G and it’s better to set it to 4G or LTE.

You can test your phone for a day or two using 5G and  4G to pick which setting works best for your phone.

[softech]

@Wayworn possibly. It is more power friendly with 4G/LTE.  

But the drawback is in an area with poorer 4G signal but better 5G, you might want to have 5G then

[Wayworn]

So even though it shows 5G it’s throttled down to 100 mbps—-- So would it be wiser to set my phone to LTE ?

[hairbag1]

@Wayworn 

the area you're in is likely a 5G network area. You're cell will connect to it but speeds will be limited to whatever your plan detail is. (3G, 4G or 5G) You can also manually select 4G / LTE...that's what I do for quick browser searches.

[DennyCrane]

All plans get access to the 3G, 4G, and 5G networks. Your plan simply dictates max speed, which is capped via artificial throttle.