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Sprint 4G/WiMax Coming to NYC Soon?

Categories: HTC, Sprint, WiMAX
By: , IntoMobile
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 at 9:57 AM
sprint-htc-evo-4g-wimax-nyc

We’ve heard reports recently that Sprint has been testing WiMax in bigger cities, and it looks like NYC might be next up for an official launch. While it’s not official just yet, our own commenters have been saying that they’re seeing WiMax in various parts of the New York City boroughs from the Bronx all the way down to the southern parts of Brooklyn. HTC EVO 4G and Overdrive 3G/4G users have been seeing brief surges while others have been seeing a strong, regular 4G signal over the course of days or even weeks.

To find out for myself, I the 4G switch on my own EVO 4G this morning, currently running Android 2.2 or Froyo, and I was both surprised and delighted to see the 4G logo light up! To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I decided to run a number of speed tests to see that it was legit.

Much to my excitement, I was seeing anywhere between 1.8 to 6.2Mbps download speeds, and 0.6 to 1.1Mbps on the uplink. Not bad, but I’m hoping that the full and official launch brings consistent speeds and a more reliable signal. As of now, other users and I are seeing weak and unreliable signals. Others claim they are seeing strong signals every single day in their areas.

KnowYourCell recently received a statement from Sprint:

We have not launched 4G in NYC yet. As they have been recently, customers may continue to stumble across 4G from time to time in NYC as we work to build, test and optimize the network.

Perhaps these brief stints and extended periods of WiMax availability are just a result of Sprint’s testing, but we’re all hoping that this is an indicator that the 4G/WiMax launch will be approaching much sooner than later. Especially since we’ve already had a taste of what’s to come.

About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.

  • SoKal26

    5.30 Mbps download speed on only 1 bar of 4G?….I’d say that’s pretty good. Wifi on the go baby!!!!

  • Ben

    Just recently I've started to notice wimax popping up on my evo, I have gotten signal near little italy, china town, jersey city and just this morning I got it near the financial district for the first time. They must be getting ready to roll it out soon…

  • Jim

    I just tested it out and found it for a brief moment at 117th and Lexington. I'm going to take a spin around the neighborhood and see what I come up with.

  • joe

    just got a 4g signal at my office on 57th and 11th ave

  • Craig

    I live in Brooklyn (Lefferts Gardens) and in my neighborhood I am getting 4mbps on the low end and straight 10mbps with a full 1mbps up. I can also very that the Flatlands area is getting a strong 4g signal as well.

  • Alex

    I live in Clifton, NJ in some areas I have all 3 bars with 4G and speeds of up to 10 Mbps. thats great!!!!!