Sprint Nextel’s (S) LTE plans look to be drawing ever closer as the carrier today provided a sale date for its second LTE-enabled device ahead of an expected launch by mid-year.
The carrier said the previously announced Samsung Galaxy Nexus would be available beginning April 22, with pre-orders begin accepted today. The device is set to retail for $200 after rebates and with a two-year contract. The announcement follows news earlier this month that the carrier would begin offering the LG Viper 4G LTE device by the end of the month for $100 after rebates. The carrier has also announced plans to rollout a mobile hotspot device compatible with its LTE, WiMAX and CDMA, and earlier this month unveiled the HTC Evo 4G LTE smartphone.
Sprint Nextel has not announced an exact launch date for its LTE service, only that it remained on track to begin commercial operations by mid-year in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio. LTE-enabled devices will be able to tap the carrier’s current CDMA-based network in markets where LTE is not available.
During a visit last week to Sprint Nextel’s campus in Overland Park, Kan., the carrier showed off a handful of LTE-enabled devices running across a trial LTE network. While the carrier asked that network speeds tests not be conducted, streaming performance was impressive and at least as good as those seen on currently deployed, though commercial, LTE networks.
The carrier plans to begin LTE deployments using the 10 megahertz of spectrum in the 1.9 GHZ band that it received as part of its 800 MHz re-banding efforts began by Nextel Communications. The carrier hopes to be able to supplement those 1.9 GHz efforts with its current 800 MHz spectrum being used for its iDEN operations and CDMA 1x-Advanced services as well as taping into Clearwire’s 2.5 GHz LTE plans to provide extra capacity in high-density areas. The 800 MHz spectrum band will provide additional capacity once the carrier begins to shutter its iDEN operations, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.
Despite its LTE service initially launching with just 10 megahertz of total spectrum, compared to around 20 megahertz from rivals, Sprint Nextel said it expects to continue with its unlimited data offering for smartphones as opposed to capped data plans from its competitors. Sprint Nextel’s SVP of Networks, Bob Azzi, also noted that the carrier was looking at various options to speed up its LTE deployment plans, including the option to bring in affiliates to build out some markets.
The carrier announced a deal in February with current network partner Shenandoah Telecommunications to receive access to additional 1.9 GHz and 800 MHz spectrum holdings in order to begin rolling out LTE services across its network reach. Sprint Nextel relied on an extensive affiliate program to quickly expand its CDMA network in the late-90s, which it then was forced to acquire following its purchase of Nextel in 2004 due to clauses in those affiliate agreements.
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