Spending an afternoon testing Sprint’s new network in Dallas demonstrates how carriers let the 5G hype get out of control.
Sprint and its carrier competitors have spent much of the last two years building anticipation for 5G. Now that 5G is here, it’s hard to tell if the reality matches the fever-pitch hype.
Sprint lent us an LG V50 ThinQ to spend testing 5G in and around the Dallas metroplex, which is one of the carrier’s 5G launch cities (the others include Atlanta, Houston, and Kansas City). With a map of coverage points and 5G hardware in hand, we put the network to the test. Here’s what we found.
Sprint says its 5G network can deliver peak speeds in the neighborhood of 1Gbps. That’s the unspoken promise the industry has long made to consumers — gigabit speeds. Engineers we spoke to in Dallas said the quickest download speeds they’ve seen on Sprint 5G do in fact border 1.1Gbps. That’s fast, no doubt, but Sprint isn’t focusing on peak speeds and consumers shouldn’t expect to see gigabit 5G. At least, not yet.
Instead, Sprint has focused its efforts on creating a more consistent 5G experience across its network. The company is using its 2.5GHz spectrum, which is considered mid-band when compared to AT&T and Verizon’s high-band mmWave spectrum, to deliver 5G. Sprint has huge, nationwide 2.5GHz holdings.
Sprint’s LTE 4G network already runs on 2.5GHz and the company has apportioned 40MHz for 5G in its launch markets. Critically, Sprint is able to deliver a mobile 5G experience on its 2.5GHz spectrum. This means customers in 5G markets can connect to 5G and remain connected to 5G as they move around 5G coverage zones. AT&T and Verizon’s mmWave 5G doesn’t (yet) deliver this seamless experience.
