Sprint has switched on its Nokia-built 5G mobile network in selected parts of Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC, meaning that its fifth-generation infrastructure is now up and running in a total of nine cities. The cellco notes that around 1.7 million New Yorkers are covered by the network, alongside 1.2 million Angelenos. A further 740,000 Phoenix residents are able to receive 5G access, with the service also available to around 520,000 Washington, DC denizens. (A full breakdown of the areas covered is available via Sprint’s website.)
In May this year, Sprint launched 5G in parts of Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Kansas City, before going live in Chicago in mid-July. Sprint says that its 5G network covers around 2,100 square miles, with approximately eleven million people expected to be covered in total across all nine market areas in the coming weeks – more than any other US operator to date. Sprint notes that its Massive MIMO 5G radios run on its 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum, and they are deployed on its existing 4G cell sites, which will ultimately mean that its 5G network has a ‘nearly identical’ footprint to its 4G network.