“Sprint” refers to both the name of a wireless carrier and what that carrier must constantly do in order to keep up with its bigger, better funded competitors like Verizon. The company has taken a big stride in that effort by throwing the switch on 4G LTE networks in five metropolitan areas, all in Texas and Missouri. Sprint has been running a 4G network for a while but it has run on the HSPA+ standard or the WiMax standard, which aren’t as fast.
LTE networks, at their theoretical peaks, are advertised to be as much as 10 times faster than 3G service, with high speeds of about 75mbps for uploads and 300mbps for downloads. HSPA+ networks top out at about 23mbps for uploads and 42mbps for downloads, while WiMax 4G topped out at 1mbps for uploads and 10mbps for downloads.
None of this means you’ll necessarily see a difference in your machine, it depends on strength of signal and how strong your phone or tablet are.
But it does mean that Sprint (Yellow) can stay competitive and make the same boasts as Red (Verizon) and Blue (AT&T). As of now, Purplish Magenta is the only major carrier that lacks 4G LTE altogether.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
