T-Mobile uses the self-bestowed accolade ‘Best Unlimited Network’ in its ads. But now an advertising regulatory body told the carrier to knock it off.

To be clear, this recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) isn’t binding. But it’s significant enough that T-Mobile is appealing the decision.

The NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It’s administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

This isn’t the first time T-Mobile has found itself in front of NAD. After a complaint from Verizon, the regulators recommended last fall that T-Mobile stop claiming that it has the fastest 4G LTE network. The carrier agreed to comply at that time. 

In the latest dispute, AT&T complained to NAD that T-Mobile’s claim to be the ‘Best Unlimited Network’ is too broad.

T-Mobile responded with data from crowd-sourced speed tests Ookla and OpenSignal indicating that T-Mobile provided faster data speeds than its major competitors.

The National Advertising Division countered that just being the fastest doesn’t make a carrier the best. Other factors like coverage area, reliable high-speed data, and talk and text services need to be included.

The regulatory body has no problems with with claims like “fastest,” “largest,” “best coverage,” or “most reliable” as long as they can be backed up. But simply saying one is “best” is an unsubstantiated claim.

T-Mobile tried to counter-argue that speed is so important in customers’ minds that it overwhelms all other considerations. NAD rejected this.

T-Mobile Appealing

As the regulators pointed out that “A recommendation by NAD to modify or discontinue a claim is not a finding of wrongdoing.”

And the NAD has no enforcement capabilities. All it can do is say “Advertisers’ willingness to support NAD and voluntarily adhere to its decisions helps to ensure an honest and open playing field in advertising.”

T-Mobile said it’s a “long-time supporter of the self-regulatory process, but is disappointed with NAD’s decision regarding this claim.” The company plans to appeal NAD’s decision to the National Advertising Review Board (NARB).

The role of NARB is to hear appeals to NAD decisions.