Network Improvement: Sprint Pips AT&T in the Big Apple Says Speedtest Intelligence

Sprint is the most improved network in both the New York City and Long Island markets,1 and now has faster average download speeds than AT&T in the Big Apple.

Based on new Speedtest Intelligence® data, Sprint is gaining in speed with incredible average download speeds of 29.2 Mbps, an increase of 73 percent in the New York City market and 21.9 Mbps, a 134 percent on Long Island market, year-over-year.

Sprint is gaining in speed with average download speeds of 29.2 Mbps, an increase of 73 percent in the New York City market, year-over-year.

The results showcase the impact of Sprint's massive Next-Gen Network investment to continually improve customers' network experience across the country. In the New York City metro area, including New Jersey and Connecticut, Sprint is adding new cell sites to expand coverage, upgrading existing ones to use all three spectrum bands (800 MHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz), and adding thousands of inconspicuous small cells to densify or "fill out" the network. In fact, data performance has significantly improved in places like Sag Harbor, New York, where the company is able to reach a high density of its strand mount 2.5 GHz small cells on existing cable infrastructure. Independent testing firm P3 found that Sprint now ranks #1 in data performance there following a dense deployment of this versatile solution across the town.

"We're excited to provide our customers with the most-improved network performance and huge increases in their download speeds in New York City and Long Island as part our continued effort to make the Sprint network even better," said Mark Walker, Sprint vice president for Network, Northeast. "We are unleashing our powerful spectrum, innovative and traditional technology on more sites to provide faster, more reliable service to more places throughout the city -- from subway tunnels to Yankee Stadium -- and the tristate area."

Sprint is also preparing for its mobile 5G network launching in the first half of 2019, with New York City being among the first nine 5G markets announced. The company has begun deploying innovative Massive MIMO technology – its bridge to 5G – in New York City, as well as Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. In 2018 and 2019 Sprint expects to deploy thousands of Massive MIMO radios, significantly increasing network capacity for millions of customers across the country, helping to move more data, more quickly for more customers in high-traffic areas.