By Justin Springham

Sprint makes the case for 2.5GHz 5G

Sprint CTO John Saw touted impressive performance of its 2.5GHz 5G network, arguing the mid-band spectrum enables it to hit a “sweet spot” serving both consumers and enterprises.

Sprint is the only US operator offering service in the 2.5GHz band and claims its customers are using three to five times more data than on its 4G network. And Saw claimed its 5G handsets are delivering an average download rate of 200Mb/s, compared to 37.5 Mb/s on 4G.

Saw said Sprint’s 5G network now covers 16 million people across nine metro areas.

Saw took a swipe at rivals AT&T and Verizon, which have both launched 5G in high-band spectrum (mmWave): “We have the largest 5G footprint in the country – our customers can hold onto a 5G network when they move in a city. If you are a mmWave operator many of them don’t even have maps yet. You can really use our 5G, it’s truly mobile.”

He added: “We’re finally seeing the true potential of 2.5GHz spectrum – mid band with a lot of capacity.”