The new market applications include Seattle, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver, San Jose, Fresno, Eureka, Boise, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Fon du Lac, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Bloomington, Nashville, Omaha, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins and Greeley, Colo.

Sprint already holds licenses to provide two-way fixed wireless broadband service in Detroit, Houston, Colorado Springs, San Jose, and San Francisco in addition to its existing Tucson and Phoenix service. The filings give Sprint access to 24.8 million of the estimated 30 million households covered by its licenses.

“With these filings, Sprint becomes ‘spectrum-ready’ to continue our aggressive roll-out of markets for the balance of this year and in 2001,” said Tim Sutton, president of Sprint’s Broadband Wireless Group. “Not only are we prepared to move into 45 additional markets, but we will have enough spectrum to deliver service to our first 2 million customers.”

In six of the markets for which applications were filed, Sprint seeks to build a cellular system that will allow the company to serve many more customers than a single “super cell” design.

Fixed wireless uses a small stationary digital transceiver at the business or home to receive wireless high speed Internet service from a fixed tower location that serves a wide area.

Sprint Broadband Direct users now experience download speeds varying from one to five million bits per second (Mbps). A standard telephone modem connects typically at less than 56,000 bits per second (56 Kbps). Sprint offers the service to households for $39.95 a month in current markets.

The license applications, which are expected to be granted, seek to change the use of spectrum originally set aside for one-way video transmissions to allow for upgraded two-way Internet service. Sprint expects the next filing window to open in February or March 2001 and plans to file in additional markets.