Competition in the hottest wireless space is going to heat up in the Triangle now.

For months, Sprint has been teasing formal launch of high-speed wireless service for the Triangle. And it has been available in spots.

As of Monday, Sprint declares 4G LTE in place across the region.

Is that good news? Yes.

That’s good news for businesses and consumers who want to shop and compare offers before signing on for smartphone service. Now they have an abundance of choices.

“With today’s announcement, Sprint now has 4G LTE in 110 markets nationwide,” a Sprint spokesperson said Monday. “This next-generation Sprint network will bring blazing fast data speeds so you can email, browse, surf, download, stream and share files faster than before – all available with Sprint’s Truly Unlimited Data Plan.”

Hyperbole aside, Sprint’s move into our region does mean the latest technology for high-speed data (Long Term Evolution) is more accessible than ever.

Why Sprint chose to pick so many other North Carolina markets before the high-tech Triangle – which Verizon Wireless and AT&T have served for months and months – will probably forever remain a mystery.

In April, Sprint deployed in Charlotte as well as other North Carolina cities (Albemarle, Lincolnton, Shelby, Salisbury) and with it available in numerous other N.C. markets (Goldsboro, Fayetteville, others.)

As we have reported before, however, Sprint users could find coverage in some areas.

A big wireless user in the Triangle reported in April: “It’s hard for me to find an area that’s not [showing LTE.]”

Now, the coverage should be just about complete.

Sprint also announced service in 21 other markets as of Monday, including Dunn.

Others:

· Baton Rouge, La.
· Centralia, Wash.
· Clarksville, Tenn.
· Corsicana, Texas
· Dalton, Ga.
· Fond du Lac, Wis.
· Gainesville, Fla.
· Henderson, N.C.
· Kingsport, Tenn.
· Lansing/East Lansing, Mich.
· Longview, Wash.
· Miami
· Napa, Calif.
· New Orleans
· Palatka, Fla.
· Sebring, Fla.
· St. Cloud, Minn.
· St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Mich.
· Tampa, Fla.
· Warsaw, Ind.

At least the Triangle is still off Sprint’s “coming months” deployment list!