Sprint Continues LTE Plus Three-Channel Carrier Aggregation Tests – Reaches 275 Mbps with LG G5

Device testing underway in preparation for LTE Plus network deployment

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 25, 2016 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) continues its device testing of three-channel carrier aggregation, today announcing it reached peak speeds of 275 Mbps in three-channel carrier aggregation lab tests using the LG G5, one of the first devices on the market to support the functionality. Sprint is independently testing three-channel carrier aggregation in its labs to evaluate overall performance, speed, and reliability as it prepares for LTE Plus network deployment.

Carrier aggregation is an LTE-Advanced feature that bonds together bands of spectrum to create wider channels and produce more capacity and faster speeds on capable devices. Essentially it creates a wider lane that allows more data traffic to travel at higher rates.

Today Sprint offers 22 devices that actively support two-channel carrier aggregation on its super-fast LTE Plus network. Two-channel carrier aggregation delivers peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps in 237 LTE Plus markets across the country using 40 MHz of spectrum on the company’s 2.5GHz cell sites.

Six devices currently offered by Sprint are three-channel carrier aggregation capable: the HTC 9, HTC 10, LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, and Samsung Note 7. With three-channel carrier aggregation Sprint will utilize 60 MHz of spectrum to provide peak speeds of more than 200 Mbps on capable devices. Three-channel carrier aggregation is slated for enablement on capable devices via an automatic software update following network deployment.

A Capacity-Rich Network Offers Unlimited Freedom

With Sprint’s deep spectrum holdings and a reliable, capacity-rich network that’s built for data, Sprint is proud to now offer Unlimited Freedom with unlimited talk, text, and mobile optimized streaming videos, gaming and music.¹

“Our holdings of more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 U.S. markets give us more capacity than any other carrier in the U.S. In combination with our Densification and Optimization strategy we futureproof our network for our customers,” said Günther Ottendorfer, Sprint COO, Technology. “This capacity enables us to reach very high speeds, as well as provide innovative unlimited data plans to our customers while keeping pace with the growing demand for data.”

About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served more than 59.4 million connections as of June 30, 2016 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint atwww.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

¹ Mobile optimized video streams at up to 480p+ resolution, music at up to 500kbps, streaming cloud gaming at up to 2mbps. Data deprioritization applies during times of congestion.

View source version on businesswire.com:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006108/en/