Sprint expanded its LTE footprint to 45 new markets Tuesday, and it finally delivered the new 4G service to Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, NY.
The new markets include Pensacola, Fla.; and Tallahassee, Fla.; Spokane, Wash.; and Lexington, Ky. Here's how Sprint stands compared to the other major players now.
Operator | 4G technology | Number of markets | Average download speeds |
AT&T | LTE (also markets HSPA+ as 4G) | 437 | 18.6 Mbit/s |
Cricket (Leap Wireless) | LTE | 11 | 3-15 times faster than Leap's 3G |
C-Spire | LTE | 40 markets up, 3 more coming soon | Data speeds up to 10 times faster |
MetroPCS | LTE | 30 markets | 2-15 Mbit/s (depending on market) |
Sprint | LTE & WiMax | 230 LTE, 71 WiMax | 10.3 Mbit/s |
T-Mobile | LTE (also markets HSPA+ as 4G) | 223 markets | 25 Mbit/s (on unloaded network) |
U.S. Cellular | LTE | 92 markets | Up to 10 times faster than 3G |
Verizon Wireless | LTE | 500+ markets | 14.3 Mbit/s |
Sources: Carrier data, Light Reading, OpenSignal, RootMetrics |
Why this matters
Sprint is back in the race with T-Mobile US Inc. to take third place in US coverage with LTE. T-Mobile recently expanded to 223 markets, but Sprint now has more markets covered again.
However, there's one important figure missing in the Sprint 4G race. The carrier, unlike its rivals, doesn't reveal the number of potential customers it covers in the US. Light Reading double checked the number again with a Sprint spokeswoman Tuesday. "We have not provided an update on POPs covered," she told us.
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— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
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