Sprint Expands 4G Markets

Sprint’s taking full advantage of the head start it has with 4G, having just announced plans to launch and market 4G technology in an additional 17 cities in the U.S. yet this year. The additional market will join the previously announced markets of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

The new additions for 2009 include:

• Abilene, Texas
• Amarillo, Texas
• Austin, Texas
• Boise, Idaho
• Bellingham, Wash.
• Charlotte, N.C.
• Corpus Christi, Texas
• Greensboro, N.C.
• Killeen-Temple, Texas
• Lubbock, Texas
• Maui, Hawaii
• Midland-Odessa, Texas
• Raleigh, N.C.
• Salem, Ore.
• San Antonio, Texas
• Waco, Texas
• Wichita Falls, Texas.

In addition to the aforementioned cities, Sprint plans to launch the service in multiple markets in 2010, including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Sprint launched its 4G service in September 2008. The company plans to launch in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Portland, sometime this month.

Sprint’s 4G service offers peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps and average downlink speeds of 3-6 Mbps. Sprint says its 4G speeds are three to five times faster than competing 3G services from other national wireless carriers, based on average download speeds.