Since May 2017, Sprint has distributed more than 260,000 small cell Magic Boxes to businesses and homes in more than 200 cities, representing one of the largest small cell deployments in the world. Now, Sprint is launching its next generation Magic Box, to bring its customers better 4G LTE coverage as it prepares to launch mobile 5G in the first half of 2019.
Sprint’s Magic Box Generation 3 is a smaller, plug-and-play unit with an improved antenna, offering speeds up to 25 percent faster than the previous model, with an even quicker start-up process. With this next-generation Sprint Magic Box, customers don’t need to place the device directly in a window and it can be set up in a matter of minutes, connecting to a nearby Sprint cell site. The device is designed specifically for public spaces and businesses that receive a lot of commercial traffic such as coffee shops, parks, and libraries.
According to a press release by the carrier, the newest Sprint Magic Box is a free-standing unit that dramatically improves data coverage and increases download speeds on average by 250 percent to provide nearby Sprint customers a better data and customer experience overall. The LTE Advanced-capable device uses 4×4 MIMO, higher order modulation (256QAM) and three-carrier aggregation within Sprint’s licensed spectrum for a reliable, sustainable experience. The new unit also includes WiFi backhaul so the device can work using a WiFi connection if wireless coverage is not available.
“We’re excited to introduce the next generation of our innovative Sprint Magic Box, leveraging advanced technology and our vast 2.5 GHz spectrum to benefit businesses deploying the units and our Sprint customers in the vicinity,” said Sprint CTO Dr. John Saw. “Sprint Magic Box is another great solution we are using to continually improve data coverage and speeds to provide a better experience for our customers.”
This next-generation Sprint Magic Box will be available later this year.
September 14, 2018
