American telecom network operator Sprint said its LTE reliability beats T-Mobile’s and performs within 1 percent of AT&T and Verizon.
“This is a dramatic improvement in the last two years, giving Sprint customers a significantly better experience than before when connecting and using their favorite mobile devices,” said the SoftBank venture in a statement.
LTE coverage of Sprint reaches nearly 300 million people, with approximately 70 percent covered by Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum, following the investment in LTE Plus Network in 204 markets.
The company has rolled out LTE Plus Network in markets such as New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Honolulu, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The 4G test drive result is based on a report from Nielsen. Nielsen conducted drive test in more than 165,000 miles in 106 metro markets covering 200 million population.
Nielsen’s LTE reliability tests measure both accessibility and retainability of voice calls and data sessions. It measures the ability of a voice call or download to initially connect to the network as well as maintain that network connection from start to finish.
Sprint made investment in LTE Plus Network to utilize the company’s tri-band spectrum portfolio, and uses carrier aggregation and antenna beamforming. Two-channel carrier aggregation, deployed on 2.5 GHz cell sites, doubles speed and capacity offering peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps on capable devices.
With three-channel carrier aggregation, currently in lab testing, customers can expect peak speeds of more than 200 Mbps on capable devices.
“The big lead once held by Verizon has largely disappeared, and there’s never been a better time to give Sprint a try,” said Sprint CTO John Saw.
Sprint is offering 50 percent off the price of most T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T rate plans. Sprint will also pay switching fees up to $650 per line via an American Express Reward Card after online registration and phone turn-in.
