Sprint Aiming to Launch LTE Network in Mid-2012, Full Buildout by End of 2013

[marcusj0015]

You would be able to travel internationally, but most likely Sprint wont unlock the GSM side so you'll be stuck paying sprint's roaming rates. You will be able to roam on GSM carriers though which opens up most of the world.

Well, a Jailbreak can always fix that, having the ability to do it is the main thing

 

[theBB]

Macrumors editors, I wish you could stop claiming "$20 billion commitment." WSJ said 30.5 million phones and somebody just multiplied that number with $650. You don't know the average price Sprint is paying for iPhones. It is very unlikely they are paying retail. The lower priced (4 now, 4 and 4S next year) will reduce the average price even further.

 

[Tiger8]

Macrumors editors, I wish you could stop claiming "$20 billion commitment." WSJ said 30.5 million phones and somebody just multiplied that number with $650. You don't know the average price Sprint is paying for iPhones. It is very unlikely they are paying retail. The lower priced (4 now, 4 and 4S next year) will reduce the average price even further.

THANK YOU!! I hate how people are referring to this article like it is the gospel. Remember what it also claimed? It claimed that Sprint will get iPhone 5 exclusively, something we all know didn't happen, so why do we still believe the 20 billion rumor?

Both Sprint and Apple declined to comment on the deal between them.

 

[mds]

THANK YOU!! I hate how people are referring to this article like it is the gospel. Remember what it also claimed? It claimed that Sprint will get iPhone 5 exclusively, something we all know didn't happen, so why do we still believe the 20 billion rumor?

Both Sprint and Apple declined to comment on the deal between them.

Technically those were two separate rumors lumped together in one MR article. Only the $20 billion worth of phones part came from WSJ.

 

[wovel]

THANK YOU!! I hate how people are referring to this article like it is the gospel. Remember what it also claimed? It claimed that Sprint will get iPhone 5 exclusively, something we all know didn't happen, so why do we still believe the 20 billion rumor?

Both Sprint and Apple declined to comment on the deal between them.

Those were separate rumors. The 30 million phones was from WSJ. The exclusivity just came out of someones backside at BGR (like all their stories).

 

[Digipimp]

I still don't get the Android trolls. People really would rather have a bigger lower resolution screen, half the battery life to have spotty hardly available 4G coverage. What do you do on your phone that works better at 20mb downloads than at 8?

 

[SuperMatt]

I'm happy that they have Sprint as an option. My AT&T network quality has been ok, not great. Verizon's customer service has been terrible in my past experiences with them, and look how they treat their workers - they're not getting my money. Maybe Sprint will be a good alternative when my current 2-year plan expires. I like that they don't charge you extra for texts and that their data plan is unlimited for $10 a month!

 

[BC2009]

Sprint wanted the iPhone and that means they would need to go LTE to have a 4G iPhone one day. They just better sell all those iPhones they pre-purchased from Apple in order to pay for that new network. I think they will, but it seems to me that whereas the carriers used to dictate the handsets, now the handsets are dictating the carriers. We have Apple to thank for that (and Steve of course).

 

[Shaych]

Sprint wanted the iPhone and that means they would need to go LTE to have a 4G iPhone one day. They just better sell all those iPhones they pre-purchased from Apple in order to pay for that new network. I think they will, but it seems to me that whereas the carriers used to dictate the handsets, now the handsets are dictating the carriers. We have Apple to thank for that (and Steve of course).

I think they have a pretty good chance of it. I mean... who knows how many are the cheaper units from Apple... and it's only 7.6 million units a year. I think the iPhone can sell that on their network easy...

Now they just have to survive long enough to start making money off these plans... and then maybe they will become profitable again. It could happen... and I hope it does... with unlimited plans.

 

[butterfly0fdoom]

I think the chip is scheduled for Q2 2012, meaning that it might just make it in the iPhone 5/6 next October, NOvember the latest. I don't see Apple missing out on a HUGE opportunity like LTE next year, when 80% will be covered the the right chip is ready.

The biggest problem about this, however, is how much will a heptaband antenna cost this soon in the LTE game? Sprint is about to become the T-Mobile of LTE by deploying it on 800/1600/1900; the rest of the Americas is mostly using 700/1700 while the rest of the world is mainly using 1800/2600. Pentaband UMTS antennas aren't commonplace yet, and the technology has been around for quite a while already.

 

[Nicky G]

I still don't get the Android trolls. People really would rather have a bigger lower resolution screen, half the battery life to have spotty hardly available 4G coverage. What do you do on your phone that works better at 20mb downloads than at 8?

Completely agree about bigger (less pocketable) screen with lower resolution and half battery life, although in general, I will ALWAYS take more speed if battery life isn't destroyed. Many of us tether, and fast internet is gooooood.

 

[twoodcc]

good for them. LTE seems to be the way to go

 

[JAT]

The Verizon iPhone 4 on the other hand is useless outside the states. No signal at all even if you wanted to

Not completely true. It will work in these countries for anything. Not as many as world phones, but more than 40.