Sprint adds three more markets to Rev. A footprint

Sprint this week said it has finished loading the EV-DO Revision A upgrade in three more of its markets: Miami; Portland, Ore.; and Puerto Rico. Coupled with the 20 other markets it had announced previously, Sprint has the faster-data-rate technology in a footprint covering 95 million people and is on track to have its entire 3G network upgraded by the end of the third quarter.

Rev. A not only gives a boost in downstream capacity, it is the first 3G technology to support broadband upstream speeds and the latency and QoS necessary to support real-time applications like VoIP and multiplayer gaming. Sprint so far has used the networks only to offer enhanced broadband access service via laptop cards, but it plans to begin integrating some of its core services with the new network in 2008, starting with VoIP-based push-to-talk.

Sprint this week also launched its first Rev. A PC ExpressCard modem, a Novatel device that uses the new thin PC card slots on newer laptops. Sprint now has five laptop cards and USB modems supporting Rev. A and is selling Sony Viao laptops embedded with Rev. A radios. It also sells two EV-DO Rev. A broadband telematics gateways built by AirLink to vertical markets.