The only thing slower than the Sprint 4G WiMax network is the Sprint 3G network. Luckily for subscribers to the third largest American carrier will soon have an more robust LTE option. Though, according to a report by PC Magazine, it'll be fast—just not super-fast.
A team from PCM got to play with the new network last week at five locations around Atlanta using an LG Viper and their own speed testing apps. The results are impressive, as long as you don't compare them to peak AT&T and Verizon speeds in the same spots. The new LTE network is a whopping 2500 percent faster than the old 3G network and noticeably more nimble than the old WiMax system.
Now, since Sprint only operates on 5MHz channels in Atlanta, as opposed to Big Blue and Big Red each using 10MHz, the peak speeds are not quite as high. However, in cities like LA where AT&T uses a similarly narrow band, Sprint's LTE should be competitive.
Sprint plans to debut the new LTE system by the end of the year, rolling it out to Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, and San Antonio. The rest of the country will be reportedly covered by the end of 2014, though company spokespeople have yet to confirm when and where it will launch until then.
Sprint's Upcoming 4G LTE Network—At Least It's Faster Than WiMax
