Sprint is the latest to talk about 5G at Mobile World Congress.
SprintSprint wants to mount its comeback on the back of 5G.
The fourth-largest US wireless carrier is set to roll out 5G capabilities this year to Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Like T-Mobile’s own deployment this year, Sprint customers won’t be able to access 5G until the service launches in 2019.
The news comes on top of Sprint’s promise that it will launch a nationwide mobile 5G network early next year — before any of its rivals. The carriers are falling over themselves trying to talk about their 5G plans, with the hope that their shiny new networks will generate excitement and bolster their reputation for service quality. 5G was a dominant topic of conversation at the Mobile World Congress trade show.
Sprint believes it has a unique set of assets to bring 5G to more people faster than its rivals, according to Chief Technology Officer John Saw. In a briefing with reporters at MWC 2018, Saw talked about the advantage of its high-frequency airwaves, which is critical to deliver higher 5G speeds.
Because Sprint has enough so-called 2.5 gigahertz spectrum to cover the nation, Saw said he expects a more consistent 5G experience than other carriers, which are experimenting with an even higher frequency spectrum. The general rule for radio airwaves is higher frequency means better speed, but shorter range.
“The 5G experience from Sprint will be more uniform,” he said. “There will be more sites with a bigger footprint.”
Sprint isn’t the only one utilizing different bands of spectrum to offer a better experience. T-Mobile said it will employ a lower band spectrum running at a 600 megahertz frequency, as well as a mix of mid and high-band spectrum to build its 5G network.
Verizon is expected to launch commercial service in at least one market — Sacramento — later this year, while AT&T has promised that its network will run on “pucks,” or wireless hotspots, by the end of 2018.
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