Last week, I rounded up all the most recent news on Sprint’s 4G LTE roll out that I had collected, and now it’s time to do that all over again. The good folks over at S4GRU have been posting updates left and right, but rather than sorting through all that info on your own, here’s the most important stuff that you should know.
- Chicago, IL: Sprint has completed over 300 Network Vision sites in the windiest city of my own home state, all throughout the Chicagoland area, except within the Loop. All of these sites are broadcasting Sprint’s enhanced 3G EVDO, not LTE, although LTE is expected to be turned on very soon. Based on internal Sprint reports, it seems most likely that Sprint will officially launch LTE in Chicago sometime in September.
- Los Angeles, CA: Sprint has completed around 65 Network Vision sites in the LA area, mostly around the SF Valley, Los Angeles Basin, and the I-110 Harbor Freeway Corridor. None of these sites are broadcasting LTE quite yet, but as Sprint ramps up production in this area, we should expect that the market will be mostly complete by February 2013. However, Sprint will most likely announced LTE in this area much before that, at around 50% completion (possibly as early as October or November).
- Miami, FL: The Miami and West Palm Sprint markets cover most of southern Florida, although it looks like Network Vision has not yet started in this area. Work, however, is expected to begin very soon, with up to 50% of the market on track to be completed by November. It’s likely that Sprint might also announced LTE at this time.
- Norfolk, VA: The Norfolk and Virginia Tidewater region is also expected to be announced soon, with Network Vision sites scheduled to go live in July. If Sprint announced LTE in this region once it reaches 50% completion, we should expect a November announcement.
- Charlotte, NC: Sprint’s Charlotte market basically covers all of western North Carolina, including the Charlotte Metro area, Kannapolis, Concord, Salisbury, Gastonia, Hickory, Boone, and Asheville. Sprint is expected to reach 50% completion in November and announced LTE around this time.
- Jacksonville, FL: This market is expected to be announced very soon, and includes much of northwest Florida. Sprint is expected to make a formal announcement once the market reaches 40% completion in October.
Just keep in mind that this information is unofficial; it should be considered an unconfirmed leak. Sprint is also known to be actively blocking LTE sites until the official launch time, so even if LTE is broadcasting in your neighborhood, you might not see it yet on your device. And finally, these markets do not represent everything Sprint is doing right now. Work for Network Vision and the LTE roll out is being done in lots more places, too, so don’t get too disappointed if your area isn’t mentioned here. Remember, Sprint’s goal is still to finish the LTE roll out by the end of 2013.
At least it looks like Sprint is staying on track to meet its goals, and the launch of its new coverage tool gives me some hope, too.
Any word on Nashville yet?
A couple of members of Club EVO upgraded and are feeling otherwise cheated by the now-miserable data speeds in some portions of the city.
anyone know how sprint chooses the order of locations they rollout 4g to?
Due, your article is wrong and needs to be updated. South Florida started in May and they just posted an article on this. In October the network should be at 40%! http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-274-miamiwest-palm-network-visionlte-deployment-schedule-update/
The link you just gave me says that, to date, no sites have been completed.
When the OG EVO 4G came out. 4G didn’t show up in Los Angeles until October, but I got it in my area close to December. Sprint is right on track with the same timing. That is when I will actually be activating my LTEvo.
In other words, nothing is close to done and phrase two is years away, if at all.
Epic fail.
Hey John, I don’t know if I missed from a past article, or if you have heard otherwise of the dates that “tentatively” the SF “Bay Area” will be seeing LTE? I swore I read something here or there about it being in the Fall time possibly.
Hi Charles – maybe you’re thinking of this article? http://www.pocketables.com/2012/04/sprint-4g-lte-is-now-live-in-waco-tx.html From what I’ve seen, SanFran will most likely be announced later in the fall – but that’s not official or anything.
Thanks John. I hope they give us some more official word soon.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/blog/1/entry-47-evidently-dan-hesse-left-his-heart-in-san-franciscobecause-sprint-4g-rollout-updates-is-announcing-this-as-a-network-visionlte-city-for-2012/
Still just a rumor, I think.
Coral Springs is completely blank with 4g. Service has been going down to roaming for over a month now. I spoke with Sprint and she said their upgrading the tower to 4g LTE, however I see no crane or anything. The rep also told me jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami are already complete or near completion. I hate you sprint.
No, I’m sorry the rep was lying. They have been doing quite a lot to prop up the old 3G network (network.sprint.com) but no LTE towers have been refitted yet. Coral Springs never got WiMAX as that was one of the few areas they left it out. However I live within half a mile from 3 4G WiMAX antennas and I don’t get a signal outside my house much less inside. WiMAX coverage is so spotty that I never turned on my WiMAX radio EVER (like three times in two years). My EVO LTE is awesome but the internet just never works. I was in a five story hospital with full signal and on speedtest I got just .2Mbps down and .1Mbps up! WTF? Sprint in too far behind and according to their info we won’t have good 4G LTE till next year sometime. Arg!
Living in the Tidewater area of Va. this is great news. It actually sounds like the info I got of an early 2013 LTE launch in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area from the store rep was accurate. I am looking forward to being able to unleash the full power of my Evo Lte.