It doesn't. Sprint isn't getting new spectrum. Depending on how things fare with Clearwire, it might gain some additional capacity, but it looks like Sprint is going to be mostly alone for LTE. Clearwire will help a bit, but it isn't going to be as close as it was in the past. Sprint's current plan is to build its own LTE network and give Clearwire money for the use of Clearwire's network in high-traffic areas.
It's hard to say what Sprint's "network vision" is. Sprint announced it in December 2010 as integrating their SMR, PCS and Clearwire's spectrum and services. Since then, Sprint and Clearwire have gone their own way and come back a bit, but Clearwire will be building its own network. Sprint's efficiency will increase when it gets rid of iDEN and refarms that spectrum for CDMA, but it doesn't change the MHz/million figure. In fact, it mostly means that Sprint is running a less efficient network right now than the MHz/million would suggest.
I like that Sprint has a concrete plan to roll out LTE and has raised the money to do it. However, it's going to be challenging. AT&T and Verizon have a decent head start. If you're wondering, "will Sprint be able to become big like Verizon and AT&T?" the answer is no. Sprint doesn't have the spectrum nor the capital right now.
That said, there's a lot of value in smaller carriers. Sometimes people think that "competition" is about winning. It isn't (at least in terms of economics). Having smaller carriers around can mean better pricing for customers whose usage patterns differ, a different mix of services that match different people in different ways, etc. Millions of people have chosen Sprint and T-Mobile. As long as those companies continue to make their customers happy (and can find a way to be profitable), that works. I think Sprint's future won't be as big as AT&T or Verizon's, but I think their commitment to LTE will help them continue to make their customer base happy if they're able to accomplish it in a timely manner.
EDIT: I should note that Sprint is in around the same range as AT&T and Verizon in terms of MHz/million customers. There are some economies of scale there due to how wideband channels fit into the spectrum, but Sprint isn't unduly spectrum poor. I believe they have 10MHz of PCS adjacent spectrum they aren't using right now that they're targeting for their initial LTE rollout. As customers start getting LTE equipped devices, more spectrum can be allocated to LTE use.
Two years ago, I was a Sprint customer. I left with the Nexus One.
At the time, in CDMA land, because Sprint had a roaming agreement with Verizon, and Sprint did not bill me for roaming on Verizon, my (voice) network was Sprint + Verizon. Which was actually pretty darn great.
Is any of that possible or likely to happen with LTE?
Where Sprint or any carrier, should it sign the right papers, can allow customers to roam off their LTE network onto another one (and the phones will work just fine?)
It's hard to say what Sprint's "network vision" is. Sprint announced it in December 2010 as integrating their SMR, PCS and Clearwire's spectrum and services. Since then, Sprint and Clearwire have gone their own way and come back a bit, but Clearwire will be building its own network. Sprint's efficiency will increase when it gets rid of iDEN and refarms that spectrum for CDMA, but it doesn't change the MHz/million figure. In fact, it mostly means that Sprint is running a less efficient network right now than the MHz/million would suggest.
I like that Sprint has a concrete plan to roll out LTE and has raised the money to do it. However, it's going to be challenging. AT&T and Verizon have a decent head start. If you're wondering, "will Sprint be able to become big like Verizon and AT&T?" the answer is no. Sprint doesn't have the spectrum nor the capital right now.
That said, there's a lot of value in smaller carriers. Sometimes people think that "competition" is about winning. It isn't (at least in terms of economics). Having smaller carriers around can mean better pricing for customers whose usage patterns differ, a different mix of services that match different people in different ways, etc. Millions of people have chosen Sprint and T-Mobile. As long as those companies continue to make their customers happy (and can find a way to be profitable), that works. I think Sprint's future won't be as big as AT&T or Verizon's, but I think their commitment to LTE will help them continue to make their customer base happy if they're able to accomplish it in a timely manner.
EDIT: I should note that Sprint is in around the same range as AT&T and Verizon in terms of MHz/million customers. There are some economies of scale there due to how wideband channels fit into the spectrum, but Sprint isn't unduly spectrum poor. I believe they have 10MHz of PCS adjacent spectrum they aren't using right now that they're targeting for their initial LTE rollout. As customers start getting LTE equipped devices, more spectrum can be allocated to LTE use.