C Spire 4G LTE rolling out in September

Regional carrier C Spire, formerly known as Cellular South, has announced today plans to launch its 4G LTE network in September. The network will initially roll out to 20 Mississippi markets, where C Spire claims it will be one of the first to offer 4G LTE connectivity to customers in the region. The network will cover 2,700 square miles, 1.2 million people, and more than 360 cell sites.

The markets that will be blanketed with C Spire's 4G LTE network in September include: the Mississippi Gulf Coast; Brookhaven, Columbia, Natchez, Petal, Hattiesburg, McComb, and Lcedale in South Mississippi; Oxford, Tupelo, Corinth, New albany, Pontotoc, Booneville, Starkville, Columbus, and West Point in North Mississippi; Yazoo City, Cleveland, Greenville, Greenwood, and Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta; and the city of Meridian and parts of Lauderdale County in East Mississippi.

The new service is said to provide 4 out of every 10 consumers and businesses in the Mississippi market with wireless data speeds 10 times faster than 3G. More precisely, C Spire promises to deliver data speeds on average from 4 to 12 Mbps downlink and 1 to 5 Mbps uplink. Although those numbers aren't too impressive compared to Verizon's LTE network, if priced right, it does give customers an alternative.