Wireless carrier Sprint announced today that its 4G services would reach 17 more markets during the ongoing year, which would add to the already announced Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., Philadelphia and Seattle. Sprint's 4G network, based on the WiMAX standard, is the first next-generation network to become available publicly in the US, the carrier added.

The new markets that will enjoy 4G network coverage during the ongoing year are: Abilene, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Bellingham, Wash.; Charlotte, N.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; Killeen-Temple, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; Maui, Hawaii; Midland-Odessa, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; Salem, Ore.; San Antonio, Texas; Waco, Texas; and Wichita Falls, Texas. Moreover, a large number of other areas will benefit from the company's services starting next year, including Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The first market to see WiMAX coverage was Baltimore, where the 4G network from Sprint was deployed last year in September. This month the company will launch its services in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Portland, while in September it plans the roll-out of its network in ten other markets. The 4G network will deliver impressive speeds to the customers in those areas, Sprint notes. The peak download speeds the network can deliver are of more than 10 Mbps, while the average downlink speeds are of 3-6 Mbps.

In addition to the roll-out of its 4G network, Sprint also offers subscribers other 4G solutions, including modems and routers that provide access to both 3G and 4G frequencies. Back in December 2008 the company released the 3G/4G USB Modem U300, while last week it announced the release of new Sprint 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Routers: The Sprint Personal Hotspot PHS300S Router and the Cradlepoint MBR-1000 Broadband Router for business. These offer users the possibility to connect multiple smartphones, laptops and other WiFi-enabled devices at the same time to the Sprint 3G and 4G networks.