Sprint Nextel (S) has further enhanced its fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband network footprint as the third largest US carrier has officially launched commercial services in its home town Kansas City. The company’s 4G services now cover 33 markets in the US.
 
Subscribers in Kansas City and the surrounding metro area can now enjoy lightning fast mobile broadband experience which is up to 10 times faster than the existing 3G deployments. This has been enabled by Sprint’s 4G USB modems and the Overdrive dual-mode (operates on 3G and 4G networks) wireless router which was launched by the carrier in January 2010.
 
Sprint offers its 4G service under the “Sprint 4G” brand piggybacking the WiMax (a mobile broadband technology) network operated by Clearwire Corporation (CLWR) in which it holds a 51% stake. The 4G WiMax network offers average downlink speeds of 3 – 6 megabits per second (Mbps) with peak speed exceeding 10 Mbps.  
 
Sprint created history by becoming the first US carrier to deploy 4G mobile broadband services in the US with its commercial launch in Baltimore in October 2008. The carrier will continue the aggressive network deployments through 2010 with 4G service launches in key US markets such as Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., addressing a population of 120 million.
 
Sprint’s 4G initiative represents a response to the emerging 4G wireless broadband standard known as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which has demonstrated higher network speeds than WiMax in technical trials. The company’s Tier-1 rivals AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) are warming up to deploy their respective 4G LTE networks in the 2010 – 2011 timeframe.
 
Nevertheless, expansion of 4G services is vital for Sprint’s survival in the US wireless market given its continued market share losses to larger rivals. The carrier is set to launch the world’s first 4G smartphone HTC EVO 4G on June 4, 2010, which will foster the effective use of 4G bandwidth for data-intensive applications. The feature-rich device is expected to help Sprint lure more users to its 4G network.
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