So far, we know for sure that Baltimore, Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio are set to be the first official 4G LTE markets for Sprint. But there are also hushed reports that San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston might also be on the short list, even though it hasn't been officially announced yet.
Apparently, construction on the Bay Area LTE network is already well underway, with around 900 new LTE sites expected to go live over the next six months. The estimate launch date is around October or November of this year, but here's the good news: Sprint is expected to turn on each site as it's completed, rather than waiting for the network to be completed. This means that Sprint users in San Francisco will be able to start using LTE little by little as the network goes up – assuming they have an LTE compatible device.
It's a similar situation in Chicago and Boston. Sprint's Chicago market has around 1,120 sites that are expected to be upgraded to LTE, as opposed to Boston's 940, which will actually cover most of the state of Massachusets. If we're to believe the rumors, work is also underway in these two cities, with expected launch dates around the same time as San Fransico.
It's interesting that Sprint hasn't officially announced this yet, as these are all pretty big markets. But perhaps it is waiting for just the right moment, when it will be able to announce all three at once and wow both the general public and the tech world. I just hope we'll have an LTE EVO by then!
[S4GRU | Android Police]
My problem is Sprint coverae for 4 G in the whole State of Oregon has been spotty at best with no improvements for almost two years on my EVO4G. Best reception is when I am near a Srint store.
However, I still am required to pay the 10 Dollar fee for 4G if I happen to drive by a Sprint store in hopes I get 30 seconds of usage.
Still like my EVO, just hope Sprint can do better with LTE 4G.
I hope they do LA! Why is it that LA never gets this networks at first?
I TALKED TO PRESIDENT HESS YESTERDAY…02 20 12
I really hate when after almost 2 years, people still think the $10 fee is strictly for 4G. DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE…
Otherwise…can’t wait for a new EVO (3? maybe or who knows what HTC will call it) to utilize the Bay Area LTE, if this rumor proves to be true. And I know it will be nothing like the 4G speeds or somewhat unreliable signal/battery crushing ability.
I wish they would just deploy even one city so they can release the lte phones that are already announced.
HE WAS ON A COMERCIAL WHILE I WAS PISSING IN THE WIND …
Are they going to be dual-band WiMAX/LTE?
Wait till everyone gets the LTE Surcharge.
Or it may perhaps be called something more acceptable marketable, as was the case with 4G, when the explanations for the surcharge kept changing. Or was getting obvious that a majority were not getting 4G, so the explanations changed.
Perhaps the 4G surcharge will be dropped, and the Extreme Datasurcharge will be applied at $15/mo.??
I think LTE will be for the most part, an Illusion, as is 4G,
Apparently, construction on the Bay Area LTE network is already well underway, with around 900 new LTE sites expected to go live over the next six months.
I NEED 60 SITES !! That’s all in Toledo,OH. We have 3 wimax towers for the city, So all this upgrade, faster data, voice, just install the new stations at each site and we will all love you Sprint !!!
RyRy…there are people in 96 other Sprint markers saying the same thing.
Robert, S4GRU
marker = markets. DOH!
The 2 handsets are going to be lte are the Galaxy Nexus and the Lg Viper. The only thing that is going to be wimax and lte are the hotspots coming out which will also do 3g.