“That’s a wrap!”

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019

Sprint today wrapped up another successful event at #MWC2019 Barcelona. From CEO Michel Combes on stage Sunday at the LG event to a standing-room-only crowd at our Monday event, we made several announcements, including updates to our 5G network rollout, new 5G devices, a partnership with cloud gaming provider Hatch, the Curiosity IoT platform within Sprint Business, and our proposed merger with T-Mobile.

Here’s a quick rundown of the week:

Network

Set to launch mobile 5G in May in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Kansas City.

in May in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Kansas City. Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington D.C. will follow – sometime in the first half of 2019.

Sprint 5G will cover more than 1,000 square miles across those nine markets.

Devices

Sprint will launch the LG V50 ThinQ 5G this spring as its first 5G device.

this spring as its first 5G device. Sprint is the exclusive U.S. carrier of HTC 5G Hub , launching this spring – bringing smooth video streaming, lower-latency, virtually buffer-free gaming and 5G mobile hotspot connectivity for up to 20 users.

, launching this spring – bringing smooth video streaming, lower-latency, virtually buffer-free gaming and 5G mobile hotspot connectivity for up to 20 users. Sprint will launch Samsung Galaxy S10 5G this summer.

Gaming / Hatch

5G will supercharge mobile entertainment experiences, including gaming.

Sprint is collaborating with cloud gaming pioneer Hatch Entertainment to deliver mobile game streaming to Sprint 5G customers.

to deliver mobile game streaming to Sprint 5G customers. Sprint will provide access to more than 100 premium mobile games, live social gaming and tournaments and a robust portfolio of content for kids.

Enterprise / B2B

Sprint Business has emerged as a global leader in powerful converged solutions, with groundbreaking developments transforming entire enterprises.

Sprint continues work with Google Fi and is expanding its agreement to bring 5G Google Fi to customers.

and is expanding its agreement to bring 5G Google Fi to customers. Amazon Web Services will integrate its cloud services with Sprint’s Curiosity IoT Platform, allowing customers to unlock additional services and more effectively manage and operate IoT solutions.

Until next time!

TIP launches open RAN 5G NR project group, led by Sprint, Vodafone

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019

Today at MWC Barcelona, the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) announced a new project group named Open RAN 5G NR. Sprint and Vodafone are co-chairing the project with support from several hardware, software and integration vendors. They include Airspan, Altiostar, Aricent (an Altran company), Arm, Intel, Parallel Wireless, TechMahindra and Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc.

The project group will focus on development of sub-6 GHz 5G NR small cells.

Sprint Network execs talk 5G Tuesday at MWC

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019

GTI Summit 2019, held in conjunction with MWC 2019, featured the industry’s most influential mobile operators, vendors and partners to embrace 5G and the new business to evolve from cross-industrial cooperation.

John Saw, Sprint chief technology officer, participated in a keynote session today called “5G Commercialization Strategy and Joint Innovation.” He shared the progress Sprint is making toward 5G and confirmed that Sprint’s standards-based 5G commercial will go live in May in the first of nine cities.

He added that Sprint wireless customers would be the first to enjoy a mobile 5G experience and that it wouldn’t be limited to their home or a millimeter wave hotspot. Sprint is actually on-air in Chicago with 5G using 2.5 GHz spectrum and Massive MIMO radios to provide fast speeds and true mobility.

Ron Marquardt, vice president-Technology Innovation and Architecture, also participated in a Tuesday panel, “Making 5G Ubiquitous,” hosted by FierceWireless.

Sprint kicks off MWC19 with 5G updates

Monday, Feb. 25, 2019

Sprint 5G is coming! In front of a packed room at a private event at MWC2019 in Barcelona, Sprint leaders today laid out plans for rolling out its 5G network in nine cities and how three of the first 5G devices will connect customers to its next-generation wireless network.

Michel Combes, Sprint CEO, spoke about how Sprint’s proposed merger with T-Mobile will create a company with the spectrum resources and scale to turbocharge 5G. Together, the two companies would increase competition, create jobs, and help deliver 5G service to every corner of America.

John Saw, Sprint chief technology officer, announced that the company has 5G on air in Chicago and it will begin commercial rollout of its 5G service in with Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City expected to be among the first and with all nine of Sprint’s 5G markets rolling out in the first half of the year.

Saw also provided details on the three incredible 5G devices Sprint will be able to choose from in the coming months. They include LG v50 ThinQ, one of the world’s first 5G smartphones and the unique HTC 5G Hub, which can connect up to 20 users to 5G, both coming in May, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, expected this summer.

Saw reiterated the strong relationships with partner companies it is working on to provide its Massive MIMO technology, devices and the chipsets that power them.

Roger Solé, Sprint chief marketing officer, talked about the future of cloud gaming. He announced that a new relationship with Hatch will bring change to the gaming industry forever. Hatch is designed specifically for 5G mobile networks so games are played instantly over the internet with no downloads or updates necessary, just like streaming music or movies. These games are full-featured, premium experiences, with no in-game purchases, limits or paywalls beyond the flat monthly subscription fee. Hatch will be offered on Sprint’s 5G smartphones.

Jan Geldmacher, Sprint Business president, shared his views on the momentum Sprint Business is creating with the innovative Curiosity IoT platform with additional announcements to expand its offering, including working with Amazon Web Services. He also announced an agreement with Google Fi that will bring the Sprint 5G network to even more wireless customers. Even better, Curiosity and 5G will accelerate the potential that’s in store for businesses of all sizes across every industry – even beyond the U.S.! Check out more Curiosity IoT news here.

The event drew key media, industry and financial analysts and included demonstrations, Q&A and interviews with Sprint executives and representatives from companies that are supporting its 5G efforts.

Sprint CEO helps launch Sprint’s first 5G device at LG event

Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019

LG hosted an event Sunday evening, Feb. 24, at MWC2019 to unveil some exciting new products, and Sprint joined in on the fun. Sprint CEO Michel Combes spoke about the company’s relationship with LG and confirmed Sprint’s exclusive deal to carry the LG v50 ThinQ 5G, the first 5G smartphone in the U.S.

Combes said that a year of planning had resulted in Sprint’s realizing its dream to bring consumers the first fully integrated 5G phone using the Sprint network. He acknowledged that Sprint and LG worked closely together in this race and said he was incredibly proud of the work “that has brought us to this point as leaders in our industry.”

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Sprint at MWC Barcelona 2019

Friday, Feb. 22, 2019

MWC Barcelona 2019 is one of the world’s largest industry gatherings, and Sprint again will be among the companies sharing exciting news about its road to 5G launching this year and mobile connectivity.

Leading the Sprint delegation are Michel Combes, CEO; John Saw, chief technology officer; Roger Solé, chief marketing officer; and Jan Geldmacher, Sprint Business president. Combes kicks things off on Sunday evening during a special event hosted by manufacturer LG, followed by a private media event Monday where Sprint executives will provide network, 5G and IoT updates.

Those attending the show can catch Saw’s keynote at the GTI Summit at 9:35 a.m. CET Tuesday, Feb. 26. He’ll be covering “5G Commercialization Strategy and Joint Innovation” and providing an update on Sprint’s 5G plans. Also on Tuesday, Ron Marquardt, vice president-Technology Innovation and Architecture, will join the FierceWireless Executive 5G Panel Series at 12:15 p.m. CET covering “Making 5G Ubiquitous.”

Show attendees can also learn more about Sprint’s technology through these demonstrations:

In Hall 1, Sprint and Ericsson are demonstrating split-mode LTE and standards-based 5G using Massive MIMO. Observe the live 5G system showing end-to-end connectivity and streaming video, and also find a demo of Sprint’s Curiosity IoT platform.

In the Nokia booth (Hall 3), Sprint and Nokia are demonstrating split-mode LTE and standards-based 5G using Massive MIMO. See the live 5G system showing end-to-end connectivity and experience streaming video and Virtual Reality applications.

Sprint plans to make several announcements during the event, so check back for updates throughout the week and follow us on Twitter @SprintNews.