Sprint to roll out 800MHz LTE during 2012
Sprint will make use of 800MHz spectrum for its LTE network during 2012, in addition the 1900MHz frequency on which it plans to launch the network. Sprint CFO Joseph Euteneuer confirmed the news in an interview at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. The use of the lower frequency will be made possible by moving of its iDEN customers onto its CDMA push-to-talk service.
Euteneuer also confirmed that it has now deployed its first multi-mode base station, as it executes on its Network Vision project to consolidate its multiple technologies into one network, which is being built by Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Samsung.
The network will be, “very competitive to what’s out in the marketplace,” Euteneuer said, as the carrier, which is the third largest in the US according to Informa WCIS statistics with 16.3 per cent of the market, looks to take on AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the LTE market.
To help it do that, Sprint is working with its WiMAX network partner Clearwire, and Euteneuer revealed that it will pay the company $350m in a series of pre-payments over two years it if achieves certain build-out targets.
Sprint could also turn to Dish Networks as a network partner, with the latter planning to deploy LTE-Advanced on its S-band 2GHz spectrum.
As previously announced, Euteneuer confirmed that its range of LTE devices and handsets would be coming in the second-half of 2012.
The next LTE conference is LTE Latin America 2012, taking place on the 17-18 April 2012,at the Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
