Sprint Sets 5G Launch in Nine Cities as Competition Heats Up (1)

Sprint Corp. has put a 5G date on the calendar.

The wireless carrier set a May launch of its 5G mobile-phone service in four of the nine cities it’s targeting in the first half of this year. That might make it the first carrier out of the gate in a race with rivals to snap up early adopters of the next-generation wireless platform.

The launch date was part of a series of 5G-related announcements Feb. 25 in connection with the start of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Sprint also said its service would be integrated with Rovio Entertainment Oyj’s Hatch ...