Sprint may be in the middle of a complicated set of acquisitions and mergers, but it's continuing to build out its LTE network. The company says that it has activated LTE service in 22 US cities today, including Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, and Raleigh, bringing its network footprint to 110 markets around the country. That compares to 278 LTE markets for AT&T and 497 for Verizon Wireless, which was the first to build the high-speed cellular network across the country. T-Mobile's nascent LTE network only covers seven cities. Today's announcement still leaves Sprint with major holes in its LTE coverage, however, with cities like New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and many more without service. Some users have seen LTE connectivity in these cities, but Sprint is testing its cell sites and service isn't widespread or reliable enough for an official launch. The company plans to have 200 million people covered with service by the end of the year.

22 new markets launched today: Baton Rouge, LA; Centralia, WA; Clarksville, TN; Corsicana, TX; Dalton, GA; Dunn, NC; Fond du Lac, WI; Gainesville, FL; Henderson, NC; Kingsport, TN; Lansing/East Lansing, MI; Longview, WA; Miami, FL; Napa, CA; New Orleans, LA; Palatka, FL; Raleigh, NC; Sebring, FL; St. Cloud, MN; St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, MI; Tampa, FL; Warsaw, IN.