4G Rollout Question

[blemas]

I see that 4G service is currently about 20 miles away from me here in the Akron, Ohio area. Sprint cannot / will not provide a time frame for when we can expect to see coverage in our area. So, for those in the know, how do they go about rolling out coverage? Do they choose a city and expand coverage, in other words, will they work until there is a 4G network connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati or do they get to a certain point and stop to move onto another large market city?

 

[Rigmaster]

There's no set formula for Wimax rollout. In principle though, Sprint's rollout seems to be a combination of 1) market density/presence 2) existing tower dispersion 3) local regulatory approval conditions 4) ability to take advantage of Wimax as a near-term profit driver and 5) whether the local market has long-term sales potential.

I wouldn't expect full 4G from NE to SW Ohio because there are too many gaps (too much distance without enough people/subscribers) for continuous coverage to be worthwhile. In most places, I think Sprint will be content to cover a reasonable size of the major city and immediate surrounding area and leave the gaps to be covered by existing 3G.

I wouldn't expect significant changes from Sprint until/unless they begin transitioning or adding LTE, which covers a broader area with fewer towers but is more expensive to rollout.