Sprint’s CTO, John Saw, published an update on the company’s next-gen network buildout. Here are some highlights:
- Upgraded thousands of macro sites for all three of its spectrum bands (800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz).
- Expanded 2.5 GHz to nearly two-thirds of its macro sites, up from approximately half of sites covered just a few quarters ago.
- Current has more than 15,000 small cells on-air with its combination of strand mounts and mini macros to expand 2.5 GHz coverage.
- Deployed approximately 7,000 strand mount 2.5 GHz small cells on cable infrastructure in Q1. Since the quarter ended, efforts have continued to accelerate, and today Sprint has more than 10,000 strand mount small cells deployed.
- Distributed more than 65,000 2.5 GHz Sprint Magic Boxes to improve indoor data speeds on average by 200%. To date, Sprint has distributed more than 260,000 Sprint Magic Boxes to businesses and homes in more than 200 cities. Announced a new version of the Sprint Magic Box designed for the hospitality industry.
- Speedtest Intelligence data from Ookla shows Sprint’s 4G LTE network is the most improved network in the U.S. with national average download speeds up 30.9 percent year-over-year, more than any other national carrier.
- In its first quarter of FY18, Sprint continued field testing and optimizing Massive MIMO radios in locations such as Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City. Some sites are now running commercial traffic and the initial performance results are very promising. Today we’re seeing a more than 4X increase in speed on these sites, as well as increased coverage and cell edge performance.
- In the first half of 2019, Sprint plans to launch mobile 5G in nine markets initially – Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.
http://newsroom.sprint.com/sprints-next-gen-network-build-gains-momentum.htm
Sprint adds to its list of first 5G cities
Sprint named three additional cities where it plans to deploy 5G in the first half of 2019. Sprint’s full list of first 5G markets now includes Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix,and Washington, D.C.
“Today we have a great LTE network, and with Sprint 5G, we’ll deliver for our customers mobile data speeds that are up to 10 times faster, with significantly improved reliability and coverage,” said Kevin Crull, Sprint’s chief strategy officer, who today is presenting his keynote address at 5G North America. “This next generation of wireless technology will create incredible new connections to people and things, and services and experiences that are so unique they will make an impact on the lives of our consumers.”
Sprint’s 5G approach leverages its 2.5 GHz spectrum and Massive MIMO cell sites, which are capable of delivering up to 10 times the capacity of current LTE systems. The radios support split-mode, enabling Sprint to deliver 4G LTE and 5G on the same radio simultaneously.
