Sprint iPhone

Not only did Sprint sell 1.4 million iPhones during the last quarter, but 41 percent of iPhone sales went to new subscribers. This is welcome news for the carrier, which has released its second quarter results. Sprint also detailed a list of 41 markets that now have LTE service including Brooklyn, Jacksonville, Nashville, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Portland among others.

The latest additions bring the total list of Sprint LTE markets across the country to 151. Unfortunately due to the closing of Nextel, the company lost 2 million customers and posted a loss of $874 million. Although Sprint is behind network giants AT&T and Verizon, the carrier expects to cover 200 million people with 4G LTE by the end of 2013.

It's well known that Sprint had to commit at least $15 billion to Apple to become the third major U.S. carrier to carry the iPhone. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told a group of reporters that taking the risk was the "right decision".

“You really don’t want to be on the outside. The No. 1 thing was getting the call from Apple that they were interested in at least having the opportunity, Hesse said at Sprint’s Kansas headquarters. "We committed to $15.5 billion over four years in purchases. That’s a large commitment. We saw no reason to bet against Apple. Today, looking back, I think it was the right decision.”

Hesse also said he would be interested in adding the iPad to Sprint's roster in the future.

T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray announced that the carrier will "be compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone" sometime next year. This means T-Mobile iPhone users will finally be able to enjoy 3G HSPA+ speeds once the company deploys its 4G network in 2013. This is very good news for the one million T-Mobile customers who are stuck accessing the carrier's slower EDGE network with unlocked iOS devices.

Chief Executive Officer and President Philipp Humm said he wants T-Mobile to be known for “4G services, 4G devices and a great 4G network," but added that the carrier is not interested in offering the iPhone until the "right terms” come along. U.S. Cellular also turned down the iPhone 4S in 2011 due to "Apple's unacceptable terms of business."

It only took a few months but Sprint finally released an iPhone app for their customers. Like other carrier apps, the "Sprint Zone" allows users to access their account, search for promotions, read Sprint news and locate Sprint stores. There is also an Apple store locator, easy access to Apple Care, and the ability to check simple device info like battery stats and data connection. The App is free in the iTunes App Store for devices running iOS 5 or later.

There's word that Sprint plans to deploy its own 4G LTE network next year to compete with Verizon and AT&T, but right now everyone is talking about 3G speed problems on the iPhone 4S. Unfortunately for Sprint the carrier seems to be experiencing the same woes that plagued AT&T after its record iPhone launches of days past. Support forums are full of people asking questions and wondering why their iPhone 4S is so slow compared to other devices on the same network.

Now reports indicate Apple has stepped in and the problem could be a software issue affecting Sprint iPhone customers nationwide. CNET reports that an internal memo was leaked explaining just that, and a fix for the problem is in the works. Apple made no official statement regarding the issue.