Calls it the most dependable network in America

Jun 12, 2009 05:31 GMT  ·  By

Sprint, the wireless carrier that released the highly anticipated Palm Pre mobile phone into the wild, says that it managed to unlock the handset's true potential courtesy of its nationwide 3G network. According to the company, all eyes were on the Pre before launch, yet the device offers customers something that hasn't been talked about as much, the connectivity to “America’s most dependable 3G network.”

The Sprint CDMA and iDEN networks are now reported to be working at their best levels, and not only the company says that, but customers and third-party reports as well. According to the mobile phone carrier, this state of facts is the result of its investments in the expansion and improvement of the network performance, which toped $17 billion since 2006.

“Better network performance has been a major priority and a key part of the improvements we’ve made over the past year that have materially changed the customer experience with Sprint,” said Dan Hesse, president and chief executive officer of Sprint. “Palm Pre is the coming out party for the new Sprint – the perfect device to show how far our networks have come.”

The Sprint 3G Network, the wireless operator says, offers faster speeds than AT&T’s 3G network (“Speed claim based on total network size, sq. miles, multiplied by network upload/download speed capability,” notes Sprint), while also being able to cover more than 20 times the area that T-Mobile's 3G network covers today (based on square miles).

Moreover, the company says, its voice calling area is the largest in the country. The Nationwide Sprint Network (inclusive of roaming) offers coverage for more than 304 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which can benefit from a Sprint national calling plan that also features roaming.

At the same time, Sprint is the first carrier in the US to already offer wireless 4G connectivity. Mobile phone users in Baltimore can already benefit from the Sprint 4G network, which should reach more markets in 2009, including Atlanta, Las Vegas, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Philadelphia and Seattle. In addition, in 2010, the network will reach cities such as New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Houston and the San Francisco Bay Area.