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Sprint bringing Massive MIMO to six cities, prepping for 5G
June 08, 2025
From the promotional image above (posted on Twitter today), it seems Sprint will bring its5G networkto six major U.S. cities. See the big 5G in the middle? Those cities are getting 5G, right?
After scrutinizing the text in the image, reading throughthe related press release, and watching Sprint’s helpful YouTube video (posted below), here’s what we know: those six American cities are getting upgraded tower hardware, which will enable 5G to rollout at some point in the future.
Sprint calls Massive MIMO a “critical bridge to Sprint’s 5G network,” with more transmitters and receivers than traditional antenna hardware and support for2.5 GHz (band 41)frequency. Sprint says upgrading the hardware in the future to 5G will only need a software upgrade. Basically, the company is upgrading its hardware now so it can quickly turn 5G on later. In the meantime, customers with devices supporting band 41 will see faster speeds and more reliable connections.
Don’t know if your device supports band 41? Usethis handy toolto see if your phone makes the cut. Some popular devices that support band 41 are theOnePlus 5T, theSamsung Galaxy Note 8, theSamsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, theHUAWEI Mate 10, and theGoogle Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
Sprint is now in a race againstAT&Tto be the first to bring 5G speeds to America. tThe latter company announced it would launch 5Gin twelve U.S. cities before the end of the year. Verizon has yet to commit to any locations where its own 5G network will be available. And, true to form, T-Mobile has rejected the other three carriers’ “Fake 5G” claims and confirmed it would be the first to roll out afull, nationwide 5G networkrather than city-specific networks.
Of course, none of this matters ifwe don’t have phones that support 5G connections.
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