Sprint continued on its distribution enhancement roll this week, with a newly announced plan to open nearly 40 new stores in the city by the end of next year.
The carrier said the 38 stores will be both Sprint and Boost Mobile branded, and will bring around 200 new jobs to the area. New store locations will be both in Milwaukee proper and surrounding suburbs like Pleasant Prairie and Franklin, Sprint noted.
Sprint said the move comes in response to growing customer demand in the area, where the carrier said data usage has increased more than 967 percent over the last five years.
Sprint said it’s also bringing its 1Million Project initiative to the metro area. Approximately 2,800 Milwaukee Public Schools students will receive either a free smartphone, hotspot, or tablet, and free high-speed wireless internet connectivity as part of the carrier’s campaign to help close the “Homework Gap.” The schools will join others in a nationwide rollout scheduled for this coming fall.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett heralded the moves as a win for his city.
“I’m truly grateful for Sprint’s incredible commitment to Milwaukee,” Barrett commented. “With this exciting expansion and economic growth in our City, Sprint is providing Milwaukeeans with family-supporting jobs while enhancing the educational experience for the workforce of tomorrow.”
Sprint said it’s backing up its push into the region with network enhancements, including deployments of outdoor small cells, its HPUE technology, and three-channel carrier aggregation.
The announcement is the latest in a series of Sprint moves to expand distribution across the country. The carrier previously announced the addition of 60 stores in New England, 79 locations in Texas, and 15 new stores in Miami and South Florida.