Skip to main content

Sprint details plans for 4G LTE rollout

Sprint Dan Hesse
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sprint has finally gotten the iPhone—and now the carrier is looking to move aggressively into the world of 4G LTE mobile broadband, announcing in a network strategy session for investors (Webcast) plans to roll out LTE service in 120 U.S. markets by the end of 2012, and expand that to about 260 markets by the end of 2013. The company also says it plans to launch its first LTE devices in 2012—with the first to come in the summer—with a total of a dozen or more available by year-end.

The announcement comes as part of Sprint’s broader Network Vision plan, which sees the company continuing to bridge multiple network technologies across its systems, even as it moves forward with previously-announced plans to phase out Nextel iDEN service in 2013. Sprint’s LTE network will be based around 1.9 GHz spectrum, and the rollout will be augmented by a network-sharing deal with LightSquared—this summer Sprint announced a 15-year, $9 billion deal with LightSquared that has LightSquared paying Sprint to roll out a terrestrial LTE network to support LightSquared’s satellite-based service, and which gives Sprint an option to use up to 50 percent of the network’s capacity—in exchange, LightSquared gets a ground network and access to Sprint’s 3G services. Sprint will continue operating its CDMA-based 3G service to cover areas that aren’t served by WiMax or LTE.

Sprint’s decision to rely on LightSquared is contingent on LightSquared getting full approvals to launch its satellite-based services. LightSquared has attracted controversy over potentially blocking low-powered GPS signals. LightSquared says it has mitigated the problems by shifting to a new set of frequencies for its initial rollouts, and claims interference problems are GPS makers’ faults.

Sprint indicated it plans to continue to sell 4G WiMax devices in partnership with Clearwire though at least the end of 2011. Clearwire is also looking to add LTE services to its existing 4G network in the 71 markets in which it operates: if Clearwire can secure funding for the upgrade and to continue operating its network, Clearwire could significantly augment Sprint’s 4G offerings. However, if Clearwire can’t scare up money to convert to LTE and keep the lights on, it’s days may be numbered.

The question is whether Sprint is too late pulling the trigger on LTE services: Verizon Wireless says it will have LTE service operating in more than 160 U.S. markets this month, and AT&T is already running in five major cities with plans for additional rollouts this year—and that’s on top of HSPA+ 3G services. Sprint already has 4G WiMax offerings in many markets, but won’t be able to offer its first LTE devices (in limited markets, no doubt) until mid-2012. Will that be too late?

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more