OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-With the launch of 10 CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A markets today, Sprint Nextel Corp. has more than met its goal of covering 40 million people with the technology by the end of this year.
The carrier said it now offers Rev. A mobile broadband coverage to 60 million potential customers. The markets launched today include New York City; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Denver; Detroit; Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Providence, R.I.; and New Jersey. Sprint Nextel has already turned on its Rev. A coverage in a number of cities, including Sacramento and San Diego, Calif.; Las Vegas; Seattle; Boston; Milwaukee.; Hartford, Conn.; and Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y.
The company also introduced a Rev. A-capable modem that connects to a laptop computer via a USB port. The Ovation U720 from Novatel Wireless joins three wireless laptop cards that are also Rev. A capable. Sprint Nextel is not charging extra for data plans in areas that have Rev. A coverage; its data plans range from $30 per month for 40 MB of data to $80 per month for unlimited data access. Customers who sign a new two-year agreement may be able to get unlimited data for $60 per month; a voice plan is not required.
Sprint Nextel expects that its faster network speeds will drive data adoption and use, helping it generate additional revenue per user. The new network also is expected to support a CDMA push-to-talk feature that will be comparable to the carrier’s iDEN technology.