by Robert Herron
Sprint 4G Rollout Updates
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 - 10:20 AM MST

In the latest news from Sprint, they have added another 36 additional communities that they anticipate having at least a prelaunch amount of service available to use by its LTE customers in the "coming months." We were not able to confirm any dates for these cities with any of our sources this morning, but I would imagine there will be a usable amount of service in these areas by the end of March. Most of these markets will not be a surprise to S4GRU members, with the exception of the Louisiana market. As this is a new market that we have never announced.

In this announcement, Sprint did not identify that these communities will be in a prelaunch stage. However, this will be the case. We here at S4GRU appreciate that Sprint is opening up LTE sites to be used as soon as they are complete. Even though it creates a patchy and non cohesive LTE network over cities that they have prelaunch service, I for one, enjoy being able to use LTE when and where it is available.

Most markets will take a long time from prelaunch phase until they have ubiquitous coverage over the whole area. A few months to a year, depending on the market size and deployment rate. See the city list below and their corresponding markets:

• Abbeville, LA (Louisiana market)
• Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX (Louisiana market)
• Blytheville, AR (Arkansas market)
• Brainerd, MN (Minnesota market)
• Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk, CT (Southern Connecticut market)
• Brownsville/Harlingen, TX (South Texas market)
• Crowley, LA (Louisiana market)
• Dalton, GA (Nashville market)
• Duluth, MN (Minnesota market)
• Dunn, NC (Raleigh/Durham market)
• Durham/Chapel Hill, NC (Raleigh/Durham market)
• Eau Claire, WI (Minnesota market)
• Greenwood, SC (South Carolina market)
• La Crosse, WI (Minnesota market)
• Jackson, TN (Memphis market)
• Lafayette, LA (Louisiana market)
• Lawton, OK (Oklahoma market)
• Little Rock/North Little Rock/Conway, AR (Arkansas market)
• Mankato/North Mankato, MN (Minnesota market)
• Muskogee, OK (Oklahoma market)
• New Haven/Milford, CT (Southern Connecticut market)
• New Iberia, LA (Louisiana market)
• North Wilkesboro, NC (Charlotte market)
• Oklahoma City, OK (Oklahoma market)
• Palm Coast, FL (Orlando market)
• Pine Bluff, AR (Arkansas market)
• Ponca City, OK (Oklahoma market)
• Raleigh/Cary, NC (Raleigh/Durham market)
• San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, CA (South Bay market)
• Salinas, CA (South Bay market)
• Santa Cruz/Watsonville, CA (South Bay market)
• Searcy, AR (Arkansas market)
• Springfield, MA (Boston market)
• St. Cloud, MN (Minnesota market)
• Stillwater, OK (Oklahoma market)

EDIT: There seems to be a lot of confusion out there, especially among Facebook readers, that cities have been removed from Sprint's LTE deployment list. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! The list above are "additional" cities being added to the list. Sprint has now announced approximately 150 cities total where work is under way. No cities have been removed. In fact, Sprint will start work in every market in 2013. Sprint is deploying LTE nationwide as a part of its Network Vision upgrades.

Quote

Sprint Reports Significant Progress in Deployment of Network Upgrades in 2012: 49 Markets Covered To Date With 4G LTE; 3G Network Upgrades Proceed Nationwide

 

 

 

 

Customers enjoy blazing speeds of Sprint 4G LTE; in the coming months, nearly 150 more markets, including 36 announced today, will enjoy 4G LTE

Customers in more than 70 markets coast-to-coast are beginning to enjoy the improved coverage, call quality and data speeds of improved 3G

 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), December 19, 2012 - This year Sprint (NYSE: S) has made a significant investment in its wireless network to better meet the needs of its wireless customers. From the rollout of 4G LTE to the upgrade of thousands of 3G sites across the country to thousands of voice and data capacity additions, Sprint has focused resources and funds to improve its overall network quality and performance. Sprint has hit a deployment stride and is making measurable progress on its goal to bring Network Vision to customers nationwide.

 

Sprint has launched 4G LTE in 49 markets – including Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Baltimore – and sites are on-air and implementation is under way in hundreds more. In fact, Sprint has announced nearly 150 markets that should see an official LTE launch in the coming months, including 36 markets that have been added today.* Sprint also has implemented 3G service improvements in more than 70 markets, from Asheville, N.C., to Philadelphia and from Hudson, N.Y., to Santa Barbara, Calif.

 

Through Network Vision, voice quality is enhanced and Sprint customers in upgraded areas are seeing better performance on their smartphones, mobile broadband connection cards and mobile hotspots when using the Sprint 4G LTE and 3G networks. Customers can expect to experience the following performance improvements:

• Faster data speeds that enable instant Web access for news updates, HD viewing and game-playing, quicker video downloads and clear video chats.
• Better signal strength when making a call or using the Web.
• Fewer dropped calls for peace of mind when talking to friends, family or colleagues.
• Improved voice quality and less static or background noise when making phone calls.

“With the network investments we made in 2012 and as the only national wireless carrier to offer truly unlimited 4G LTE data plans, we continue to offer better value than our competitors,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president-Network, Sprint. “But our commitment to an exceptional wireless experience doesn’t stop there. We are an aggressive path to complete the rollout of Network Vision, and we expect to accelerate this momentum in 2013.”

 

Sprint introduced its all-new 4G LTE network in July 2012 and now offers service in 49 marketsⁱ. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE portfolio and rollout, please visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE. For detailed 4G LTE maps, providing coverage information right down to the address, please visitwww.sprint.com/coverage. Customers are encouraged to check back often, as the maps will be updated when coverage in these markets is enhanced.

 

*Markets slated to receive LTE in the coming months are:

 

Abbeville, La. Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas Blytheville, Ark. Brainerd, Minn. Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk, Conn. Brownsville/Harlingen, Texas Crowley, La. Dalton, Ga. Duluth, Minn. Dunn, N.C. Durham/Chapel Hill, N.C. Eau Claire, Wisc. Greenwood, S.C. Jackson, Tenn. La Crosse, Wisc. Lafayette, La. Lawton, Okla. Little Rock/North Little Rock/Conway, Ark. Mankato/North Mankato, Minn. Muskogee, Okla. New Haven/Milford, Conn. New Iberia, La. North Wilkesboro, N.C. Oklahoma City Palm Coast, Fla. Pine Bluff, Ark. Ponca City, Okla. Raleigh/Cary, N.C. Rochester, Minn. Salinas, Calif. San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, Calif. Santa Cruz/Watsonville, Calif. Springfield, Mass. Searcy, Ark. St. Cloud, Minn. Stillwater, Okla.