Apple is currently battling with an Australian consumer group over the labeling of its new iPad as "4G" in the country despite the tablet not being compatible with those networks, but in a recent court filing, Cupertino reportedly says that 3G service in Australia is basically on par with 4G.
As reported by The Australian and ZDNet Australia, Apple claims that 3G networks from area providers like Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone "are 4G networks in accordance with accepted industry and regulatory use of the descriptor '4G.'"
The new iPad is not compatible with existing Australian 4G LTE and WiMax networks and therefore defaults to 3G speeds. The 4G LTE networks available in Australia operate on the 1800MHz frequency, while the iPad's 4G LTE feature operates on the 700MHz and 2100MHz frequencies. As ZDNet pointed out, the 700-MHz band is still in use by analog TV stations in Australia.
The updated tablet, however, is still advertised as a "Wi-Fi + 4G" device in the country, which prompted a complaint from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The ACCC succeeded in getting Apple to issue refunds to new iPad buyers who were not satisfied with its "4G" speeds, but the group also wanted Apple to remove the "4G" designation. Apple, however, apparently doesn't think that's necessary.
The debate over what constitutes 4G has been a point of contention among those in the telecom space for some time. U.S. providers like T-Mobile have been marketing their service as 4G when they in fact have a souped-up version of 3G known as HSPA+. It's faster than 3G, but does not quite get the same performance as a full-blown 4G LTE network, like the ones currently being rolled out by Verizon and AT&T in the states.
Apple reportedly thinks access to HSPA+ networks in Australia, however, is enough to warrant the 4G designation on its new iPad there.
AT&T used similar logic recently when an iOS upgrade switched out the 3G icon on its iPhone to 4G despite the fact that Apple's iPhone is not, in fact, a 4G device.
The iPad case is expected to be heard by Australia Federal Court in May.
For more, see PCMag's full review of the new iPad and the slideshow below.