Sprint is turning on its high speed 4G LTE network across the nation, under its Network Vision plan, which offers download speeds of 6 to 8 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 3 Mbps, equivalent to Verizon's current 4G network speed.
Competitors Verizon and AT &T offer much faster speeds, but performance is expected to improve as Sprint fine-tunes its network. Toward the end of 2013 and by the beginning of 2014, 4G LTE coverage will be available to an estimated 200 million people. Sprint says it launched 4G LTE in 49 markets to date, including major U.S. cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and Houston. Within the coming months, more and more cities will experience the fast speed of 4G LTE.
As reported by Engadget Sunday, Feb. 17, 4G LTE is currently available in the San Francisco area. Parts of Silicone Valley were already reported as having received LTE that reached peak download speeds of up to 13 Mbps and upload speeds of 8 Mbps. In January, 4G LTE was deployed in some parts of upstate New York such as Albany and Syracuse. Recent reports indicate that the new network has also been turned on in some parts of New York City and Washington D.C.
"Network Vision is Sprint's plan to consolidate multiple network technologies into one new, seamless network with the goal of increasing efficiency and enhancing network coverage, call quality and data speeds for customers across the United States," said Sprint on its official website.
Sprint customers can expect to experience enhanced voice quality, better signal strength for calls and Web surfing and fewer dropped calls. These are just a few of the issues that earned Sprint a poor service provider performance rating, according to consumer reports.
"We're committed to providing improved 3G and 4G LTE as quickly as possible, and keeping our customers informed as to when and where they can experience the new network's superior performance and speed," said Bob Azzi, senior vice president, Sprint Network.
Sprint Nextel serves 48 million consumers and entered into a partnership with Clearwire Corporation to acquire a 50-percent stake in the company. Clearwater owns much of the spectrum necessary for network carriers to run cellular frequencies.
