Sequans Communications S.A. (SQNS)

[Blade$dream]

Sprint says it will begin offering users gigabit LTE connections in a limited number of markets this year. In a new blog post, Sprint CTO John Saw gives an update on the company's plan to launch ultra-fast fifth generation (5G) wireless service on the company's 2.5GHz spectrum. Sprint is one of several carriers that have been hyping their 5G plans and conducting a variety of tests using hardware and software that will be part of the 5G standard -- when it's solidified sometime in the next few years.

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"With more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 US markets, Sprint has more mobile-ready 5G spectrum than any other U.S. carrier," said Saw.
"Sub-6GHz spectrum such as 2.5 GHz will be foundational for providing nationwide 5G coverage," the CTO added. "And millimeter and centimeter wave bands will serve as capacity hotspots, providing the highest capacity and throughput where it’s needed."

But for those not interested in waiting until 2019 for faster Sprint speeds, the CTO also noted that the company's gigabit LTE deployments (still technically 4G) should arrive in a number of markets this year. That will begin in New Orleans, where Sprint already demonstrated 600 Mbps LTE downloads earlier this year.

"2019 will be here soon, but the work we’re doing today is already delivering gigabit class speed," said Saw. "In March in New Orleans, we were proud to debut with Qualcomm and Motorola the first U.S. deployment of Sprint Gigabit Class LTE on a live commercial network. Over the course of this year we are working towards making Sprint Gigabit LTE commercially available in major markets across the country starting with New Orleans."

The company's full blog post has additional detail on the company's 5G and gigabit LTE plans for those interested.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Sprint-to-Launch-Gigabit-LTE-in-New-Orleans-This-Year-139570