Sprint Nextel, a major U.S. telecommunications carrier, has begun rolling out its 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network across the United States.
The company has launched LTE service in 15 U.S. cities, with initial coverage concentrated primarily in Georgia and Texas. Sprint plans to expand to additional LTE markets later this year.
“This new network is performing extremely well and customers should find it consistent, reliable and really fast,” said Bob Azzi, Sprint’s senior vice president of networks.
The upgrade from 3G to 4G promises tangible improvements for Sprint customers, including stronger signal strength, fewer dropped or blocked calls, faster data speeds, broader coverage, and improved overall performance.
LTE adoption is driving handset makers to produce compatible devices. As the LTE footprint grows, new phones must support the standard. Upcoming handsets such as the delayed BlackBerry 10 and the long-anticipated iPhone 5 have been expected to include LTE capabilities.
Positioning among the big four
Sprint’s LTE launch positions it ahead of T-Mobile USA—Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. subsidiary—which is anticipated to introduce its nationwide LTE network next year. However, Sprint remains behind AT&T and Verizon Wireless in terms of LTE reach and scale.
AT&T recently expanded its LTE footprint in the U.S., announcing several new market rollouts through its online newsroom. Verizon has also aggressively extended LTE coverage, reaching 304 markets and covering roughly 200 million Americans. By comparison, AT&T’s LTE service reaches about 80 million users. Sprint’s network does not yet match those levels, but the carrier aims to reach approximately 250 million people by the end of 2013.
The competitive landscape raises questions about how quickly Sprint can close the gap with larger rivals. Will this LTE rollout help Sprint regain customers from AT&T and Verizon? Does the expansion signal a consolidation of LTE development across the U.S. market?
For further insight into LTE trends and what they mean for carriers, industry events such as Telecoms Tech World explore these topics in depth.