Sprint finally brings 4G LTE to New York -- sort of

The Sprint EVO 4G LTE was one of its flagship phones for its new network. Some New Yorkers will be able access that speedier connection starting July 30.

(Credit: CNET)

Sprint is finally bringing its speedy LTE service to New York City -- but not everyone in the Big Apple will get it.

The company will officially announce that the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Bronx will be fully connected to LTE by July 30, CNET has learned.

Unfortunately, the rest of New York -- Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island -- is still left hanging. Sprint hasn't said when the rest of the city would get lit up, only saying the network would grow "in the coming months."

Sprint's rollout is indicative of the complexities of building out a new network in a large city, particularly one as densely packed as New York. Company executives note that there are pockets of 4G LTE coverage throughout New York, but it isn't wide enough to formally announce that the entire city is lit up.

Sprint announced in September that New York would be one of 100 cities to get 4G LTE, at the time also offering only the coming months as a target. Nearly a year later, and part of the network is up and running.

 To find out why Sprint is taking so long with its 4G LTE roll out, read this.

Sprint also pushed forward on its project to connect New York subway stations with a cellular connection. The company has committed to connecting all 277 underground stations and will start with 36 stations in the Chelsea and midtown districts of Manhattan in early 2014.

AT&T and T-Mobile were the first to offer a cellular connection in select underground subway stations, and Verizon and Sprint recently signed on with Transit Wireless to also provide service there.