It looks like Sprint is seriously stepping up its network speed. The company announced that its LTE Advanced network is now available around the country, including more than 225 cities. What that means is that in those cities, phones capable of connecting to LTE advanced networks will be able to get download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
Gigabit internet speeds are becoming increasingly common, but they are still super fast compared to other wireless network speeds. On a network with 1Gbps download speeds, you will be able to download an HD movie in a matter of seconds.
It’s important to note that it’s unlikely you will be able to hit full 1Gbps speeds, even when you’re connected to an LTE Advanced network and using a compatible phone. The more people that are connected to a particular cell tower, the lower your speeds will be — not to mention the fact that obstacles and distance can play a role, too. Still, the fact remains that you will likely achieve much faster speeds on these new networks than you otherwise would have and even a few hundred megabits per second is a super fast speed.
In February, Sprint announced that it was hoping to build out the first nationwide 5G network by early next year, and rolling out LTE Advanced is a huge part of making that happen. On top of rolling out LTE Advanced, Sprint is also bringing 5G capabilities to nine cities by the end of the year — including the likes of Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Customers won’t be able to access these 5G capabilities until next year, but it’s still quite a step forward.
Sprint is also building one of the first phones with 5G built right into it. It’s not currently clear who the company is working with on the project but the phone is expected to launch alongside Sprint’s 5G network next year. Meanwhile, progress continues to be made in the Sprint and T-Mobile merger, and the two companies have said that merging will allow them to build their next-generation networks faster.
Of course, Sprint isn’t the only network building out 5G. Verizon recently launched 5G home internet service and while the devices used for that will ultimately be replaced to meet industry standards, the fact remains that 5G is starting to become a reality.
