Sprint continued its 4G announcement marathon this morning with the official launch of WiMax service in Minneapolis-St.Paul, MN, also known as Twin Cities, and Pittsburgh, PA. Welcome to the fast lane!

This announcement follows the Nashville 4G launch 2 weeks ago, Orlando launch last week, and the introduction of Epic 4G in the beginning of the month. Sprint’s 4G service now covers 55 markets.

Users of the only 2 aforementioned devices capable of running on Sprint’s 4G network are charged an extra $10 "premium data" fee, no matter whether 4G is available in their area or not.

As Sprint’s 4G network expands, be sure to follow its growth on our up-to-date 4G Coverage Tracker, right here at Android Police.

Full press release follows:

Sprint Turns on 4G Service in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Pittsburgh

Next Generation Wireless Service Enables Rich Multimedia Experience, Robust Web Browsing and Live Video Chat Capabilities; Now Available in 55 Cities and 22 States

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 30, 2010 - Starting today, Sprint (NYSE:S) 4G – the next generation in wireless service and up to 10 times faster than 3G service1 – is available to customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Pittsburgh. With Sprint 4G, wireless customers can experience faster mobile downloads, video chat capabilities and turbo-charged Web browsing – all on the first wireless 4G network from a national carrier.

Customers in these cities can take advantage of the Sprint 4G Network with a range of 4G-capable devices already available from Sprint. Tourists visiting Minneapolis-St. Paul can snap a photo of the Guthrie Theater, Walker Art Museum or Mall of America with their Samsung Epic™ 4G and use Google Goggles to pull up facts about each using visual search technology powered by Sprint 4G. Customers in Pittsburgh can use video chat on their HTC EVO™ 4G to show friends a live view of Trinity Cathedral or Heinz Field and coffeehouse dwellers can power up the Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot to share 4G speeds with up to five WiFi-enabled devices – such as an iPad™, laptop, camera or game console – making downloads, streaming video and Web browsing fast.

“Since 2008, Sprint has provided customers 4G service and we’re proud to extend our leadership to two more cities today,” said Matt Carter, president of Sprint 4G. “Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to make 4G a reality for our customers, with Sprint 4G now available in 55 cities across the country. Customers in the Twin Cities and Pittsburgh can now take advantage of 4G speeds and devices from Sprint that allow them to turn an iPad into a 4G device, download a presentation or a music file faster, record and watch HD-quality videos and more.”

Sprint 4G is now available in 55 cities: California – Merced, Modesto, Stockton, Visalia; Delaware – Wilmington; Florida – Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando; Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Massachusetts – Boston; Michigan – Grand Rapids; Minnesota – Minneapolis-St. Paul; Missouri – Kansas City, St. Louis; New York – Rochester, Syracuse; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro (includes High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (includes Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Eugene, Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, York; Rhode Island – Providence; Tennessee – Nashville; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Utah – Salt Lake City; Virginia – Richmond; and Washington – Bellingham, Seattle, Tri-Cities, Yakima.

Sprint is delivering the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.1 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

1 “Up to 10x faster” based on download speed comparison of 3G’s 600 kbps vs. 4G’s 6 Mbps. Industry published 3G avg. speeds (600 kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary by plan or based on other factors.

Source: Sprint PR