Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)
could support the new
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)
Long Term Evolution (LTE) iPad in the 4G markets it plans to launch mid-year. (See
Apple Intros First 4G LTE iPad.)
Sprint plans to launch the faster data download technology in six U.S. cities by mid-year -- including Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio -- on its 1900MHz PCS band. These should be online by the early summer with markets in the surrounding areas to come. (See
Sprint Plans LTE for Baltimore, Kansas City and
Sprint's 4G LTE Texan Triangle.)
The
technical specifications listed for the Verizon version of the 4G iPad say that it will run Verizon's LTE over its 700MHz C-Band spectrum, but lists radio support for 1900MHz too. (See
Mapping LTE: AT&T & Verizon's 4G Footprints.)
Sprint supports the CDMA iPhone 4 and 4S. But there was no mention of Sprint in Apple's 4G iPad announcement. Apple only listed AT&T and Verizon as its 4G partners when it announced the new iPad. (See
Sprint Sees iPhone Subsidies as Necessary Evil.)
If that could change over time, such as it did with the later launch of the Sprint iPhone, the operator isn't telling yet. "At this time, Sprint is not a carrier for Apple's iPad products," says a Sprint spokesman via email. "We have nothing further to announce at this time."
— Dan Jones, Site Editor,
Light Reading Mobile
