The defunct LG Wing is getting Verizon C-band, because 5G in this country is silly

Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge

Over a year after it left the smartphone business, the LG Wing will be getting an update that will allow it to use the newest 5G spectrum. The C-band spectrum is an important piece of the 5G network that delivers better-than-LTE speeds and wide-ranging signal. The update will be pushed out through the rest of the week according to George Koroneos.

If you're one of the few people who bought anLG Wing, it's good news that you're getting some support from the company. Why is a one-and-a-half-year-old phone from a former mobile brand getting this update now? 5G in this country is still a mess.

Carriers have been gathering 5G spectrum in an effort to win a race. While AT&T and Verizon had to wait to get their share of the mid-band spectrum, they got creative and did things like re-packaging the network as 5G Evolution. T-Mobile bought the fourth wireless carrier in the country for its mid-band spectrum, and its replacement has been stuck with endless delays.

Their efforts to win the race to 5G has resulted in a confusing patchwork of network frequencies that require the right hardware, software, and FCC clearances to use. With so many hoops to jump through, manufacturers can launch a phone that could support C-band, but ultimately decide not to certify it on the carrier's network.

If you buy a new 5G phone through your carrier, it will almost certainly work with any 5G network they promote. If you have a 5G phone from your carrier that's a year or two old, it's not clear which networks they will support and which ones they won't. At least they got that part right, even though they didn't figure out the phone business.