Sprint increases LTE speeds for Galaxy S7, LG V20 and others

Sprint has rolled out its three-carrier aggregation technology to a range of handsets allowing subscribers to receive faster mobile data speeds. The news arrives via Wireless Week, which claims that the LG G5, LG V20, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have now joined the HTC Bolt with the improved data speeds.

Three-carrier aggregation is a technology which increases the bandwidth of LTE connections by allowing you to download data from multiple network bands simultaneously. It’s the key driving force behind the LTE Advanced specification and is said to offer peak speeds of more than 200 Mbps (megabits per second) compared to the 100 Mbps limit of two-carrier aggregation. (You can read our LTE Advanced explained article at the link for more.)

Three-carrier aggregation has been rolling out to the devices since last Friday via a software update. If you own one of the aforementioned devices, and haven’t noticed a difference in LTE speeds, be aware that — though peak speeds should be higher — the effects of it are determined by a number of factors: and it’s still a struggle to get any LTE coverage at all in some cities.

A Sprint spokeswoman also told Wireless Week that 13 of the 19 three carrier aggregation-capable Sprint phones are now supported. I’ve reached out to Sprint regarding the other phones and will update the article should I receive a response.

A Sprint spokesperson confirmed to us that 7 out of the 13 three-carrier aggregation-capable devices on the Sprint network have now been enabled. Here’s the full list.

1. Apple iPhone 7 (enabled)
2. Apple iPhone 7 Plus – (enabled)
3. HTCBolt – (enabled)
4. LG G5 – (enabled)
5. LG V20 – (enabled)
6. Samsung Galaxy S7 – (enabled)
7. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge – (enabled)
8. HTCM9
9. HTCM10
10. Google Pixel
11. Google Pixel XL
12. Samsung Galaxy S7 Experience
13. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Experience