Sprint names a hundred cities getting 4G LTE in “coming months”

Sprint two weeks ago added four more United States cities to its 4G LTE network deployment efforts and today the company announced that it will deploy the speedy network technology across a hundred major cities in “coming months”, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Sprint is late to the LTE party, having commenced the high-speed network deployment on July 15. Contrast this to AT&T and Verizon, the nation’s leading carriers, that began upgrading their towers to 4G LTE last summer and are expected to wrap up commercial deployment of their nationwide 4G LTE by the end of 2012 or in early 2013…

According to a media release, the 4G LTE network build is underway in Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastian, Puerto Rico; Albermarle, N.C.; Anderson, Ind.; Asheville, N.C.; Athens, Tenn.; Athens, Texas; Austin, Texas; Barnstable Town (Hyannis/Midcape), Mass.; Baton Rouge, La.; Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Md.; Boston; Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, Mass.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chicago; Clarksville, Tenn.; Cleveland, Tenn.; Coamo, Puerto Rico; College Station, Texas; Columbia, Tenn.; Columbus, Ind.; Cookeville, Tenn.; Crossville, Tenn.; Daytona Beach-Deltona-Ormond Beach, Fla.; Elkhart-Goshen, Ind.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Gainesville, Fla.; Gary, Ind.; Goldsboro, N.C.; Greenville, N.C.; Greeneville, Tenn.; Guayama, Puerto Rico; Hammond, La.; Harriman, Tenn.; Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C.; Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La.; Hutchinson, Kan.; Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Johnson City, Tenn.; Jonesboro, Ark.; Kankakee-Bradley-Bourbonnais, Ill.; Kerrville, Texas; Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Texas; Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.; Kinston, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.; Lancaster, S.C.; Lawrence, Kan.; Lincolnton, N.C.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; Lumberton, N.C.; McPherson, Kan.; Memphis, Tenn.; Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla.; Morgan City, La.; Morristown, Tenn.; Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; Muncie, Ind.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans; New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.; Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Va.; Ocala, Fla.; Ocean Pines, Md.; Palatka, Fla.; Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.; Peabody/Lawrence-Methuen/Gloucester, Mass.; Philadelphia; Ponce, Puerto Rico; Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Roanoke Rapids, N.C.; Rochelle, Ill.; Rockford, Ill.; Rocky Mount, N.C.; Salina, Kan.; Salisbury, Md.; Salisbury, N.C.; San German-Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Sebastian-Vero Beach, Fla.; Sevierville, Tenn.; Shelby, N.C.; Southern Pines-Pinehurst, N.C.; Springfield, Mass.; Statesville-Mooresville, N.C.; St. Thomas, USVI; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.; Topeka, Kan.; Tullahoma, Tenn.; Tupelo, Miss.; Warrensburg, Mo.; Washington, D.C.-Arlington-Alexandria, Va.; Waukegan-Lake County, Ill.; West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, Fla.; Wichita, Kan.; Wichita Falls, Texas; Wilson, N.C.; Worcester-Fitchburg-Leominster, Mass.; and Yauco, Puerto Rico.

If you have a 4G LTE-compatible device, you may begin to see 4G LTE coverage in these areas even before the official launch, said Sprint.

The hundred upcoming cities come in addition to the 19 metropolitan areas with Sprint’s 4G LTE: Atlanta; Athens, Ga.; Baltimore; Calhoun, Ga.; Carrollton, Ga.; Newnan, Ga.; Rome, Ga.; Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Gainesville, Ga.; Granbury-Hood County, Texas; Houston; Huntsville, Texas; Kansas City, Mo./Kansas City, Kan.; Manhattan/Junction City, Kan.; San Antonio, Texas; Sedalia, Mo.; Waco, Texas; and St. Joseph, Mo.

Rival AT&T and Verizon both have been lighting up a bunch of 4G cell towers lately, with Verizon the farthest along with 4G LTE deployment in the United States.

The big red carrier now has 371 4G LTE markets for 75 percent of the nation versus 50 markets for AT&T. T-Mobile won’t be rolling out 4G LTE before 2013.

As you know, the incoming iPhone 5 is widely expected to support 4G LTE. The third-generation iPad released back in April already supports this high-speed radio technology in the United States, Canada and certain other parts of the world.

According to a Piper Jaffray study from last month, consumers are not terribly familiar with the benefits of 4G LTE and could’nt care less about the fuss. Nearly half of the nation’s consumers told said they didn’t need LTE and another 26 percent, or one in four respondents, felt all 4G flavors are the same. Only a slim 19 percent though LTE was the bomb among tech fuels.

What about you?

Are you looking forward to rocking an iPhone 5 on your carrier’s 4G LTE network?