Sprint and T-Mobile are finally trying to tie the knot, but Sprint isn't just hanging back while it waits for the deal to be done. It's still planning its own 5G network to begin deployment in the coming year. It already had an initial list of 5G markets, but it's adding to it today.

Sprint's new 5G cities are New York, Kansas City, and Phoenix. They join the previously announced markets of Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, and Washington DC. Sprint says the newly announced markets will get their first taste of Sprint 5G service (which it calls Massive MIMO) in the first half of 2019.

More Sprint 5G markets will be announced later, but the timeline may change if the T-Mobile deal goes through. Sprint has a ton of 2.5GHz spectrum that it's planning to use for 5G, but T-Mobile has the low-frequency spectrum needed to fill in the gaps. The two claim a combined carrier would be able to roll out nationwide 5G service faster.

PRESS RELEASE