Sprint to Offer High-Speed Wireless

Sprint Corp. plans to offer wireless Web access at speeds comparable to wired high-speed connections in dozens of U.S. cities.

The move, to begin this month, is a response to a similar move by Verizon Wireless, which started offering the technology in late 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Sprint, the nation’s No. 3 cellular operator, intends to expand the technology, known as EV-DO, to nearly half of the U.S. population by the end of the year.

The service from Sprint means subscribers can get wireless access to the Internet at speeds comparable to wired DSL connections nearly anywhere they can get a Sprint cell-phone signal.