Today another U.S. carrier has officially launched its 5G network.
Sprint has flipped the switch on its mobile 5G network in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Kansas City. The yellow carrier touts that it's got "the largest initial 5G coverage footprint in the U.S." on its launch day. Here's how the coverage breaks down:
- Atlanta: Sprint 5G covers around 150 square miles and 565,000 people, including the downtown to Dunwoody areas
- Dallas-Fort Worth: Sprint's 5G coverage reaches around 575 square miles and 1.6 million people in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Area. That includes Irving and downtown Fort Worth areas like Sundance Square and Las Colinas, as well as the North Dallas area from Preston Hollow to Addison
- Houston: Sprint 5G covers around 165 square miles and 800,000 people, from downtown Houston to Memorial City Mall/City Centre Plaza
- Kansas City: In Sprint's hometown, 5G covers around 225 square miles and 625,000 people from downtown Kansas City, MO to Overland Park, KS, where Sprint is headquartered
Sprint says that it plans to expand its 5G coverage to areas of Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. in the coming weeks.
Sprint's 5G network uses 64T64R (64 transmitters 64 receivers) 5G Massive MIMO radios made by Ericsson that support split-mode, allowing Sprint to offer both LTE Advanced and 5G service. The Sprint 5G coverage uses 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum and is deployed on its existing 4G cell sites.
Of course, Sprint launching its 5G network doesn't do much good if you don't have any devices to access it. Those are coming tomorrow, with the LG V50 ThinQ and HTC 5G Hub giving Sprint customers two ways to get onto the 5G network.
The LG V50 ThinQ will cost $0 down and $24 per month on an 18-month Sprint Flex lease when you have a new line or eligible upgrade. That limited time price is half off the V50's normal price tag. Meanwhile, the HTC 5G Hub hotspot will be priced at $12.50 per month, which is also half off its regular price, with a 24-month installment agreement and new line of service. Customers who buy the HTC 5G Hub can get 100GB of high-speed data for $60 per month with autopay.