Sprint announced Monday that it will launch commercial 5G services beginning in May. The first cities to launch will be Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Kansas City, Mo. Sprint also expects to launch service in Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. within the first half of 2019. Once launched, Sprint claims that users can expect 5G coverage “ranging from nearly 30 square miles covering Midtown and lower Manhattan, to approximately 230 square miles spanning the greater Dallas Fort Worth area, for a total initial 5G coverage footprint of more than 1,000 square miles across all nine cities.” In a press release, Sprint CEO Michel Combes touched on both Sprint’s planned merger with T-Mobile, as well as how 5G technologies can impact underserved communities: “[W]hen combined with T-Mobile we will be able to roll out 5G in more places, more quickly, building an incredible nationwide 5G network that reaches underserved communities, accelerates competition, and drives new levels of U.S. innovation and progress.”
