Sprint Nextel, the third largest US mobile carrier, is accelerating the rollout of its 3G high-speed data network, to reach an estimated 190 million people by the end of 2006. The network, called `Sprint Power Vision’, and based on Qualcomm’s EV-DO (evolution data optimised) technology, is currently available to about 150 million people, or half the US population. At the same time, Sprint plans to begin upgrading the network to EVDO Rev. A. Both Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless are competing with market leader Cingular Wireless, which is rolling out a 3G network based on the rival HSDPA (high speed data packet access) technology.
