Reno Area Wireless Summary – Fall 2026

The local wireless network landscape in the Reno/Sparks area has seen several notable shifts, site activations, and structural changes:

1. Major Network Shutdown & Spectrum Sale

• Boost Mobile / Dish Wireless Decommissioned: Boost Mobile / Dish Wireless officially decommissioned its network on October 31, 2025. Its 45 local macro cell sites were shut down, and its radio licenses and spectrum are being sold to AT&T and SpaceX.

2. Macro Site Leaderboard & Midband 5G Expansion

The carrier leaderboard for active macro sites and 5G midband upgrades shows the following breakdown:

• Verizon Wireless:
  • 84 active macro sites and 5 active small cells.
  • 72 sites (86%) have been upgraded with 5GUW midband spectrum (n77).
• T-Mobile:
  • 71 active macro sites.
  • 65 sites (92%) are upgraded to 5GUC midband spectrum (n41), giving T-Mobile the highest percentage of upgraded midband sites in the area.
• AT&T:
  • 62 active macro sites and 15 active small cells.
  • 47 sites (76%) are upgraded to 5G+ C-Band spectrum (n77).

3. Recent New Cell Site Deployments

Carriers have continued expanding coverage across the Truckee Meadows, heavily relying on co-locating antennas on existing structures and towers:

• AT&T:
  • September 1, 2026: Activated a new site co-located with Verizon on Design Place in northwest Spanish Springs.
  • August 1, 2025: Activated a site co-located with Verizon on a faux water tower at the Arrowcreek Golf Course in rural southwest Reno.
• T-Mobile:
  • January 7, 2026: Activated a site co-located with Verizon and AT&T behind the Reno Fire Station at Veterans Pkwy & Steamboat Pkwy.
  • October 8, 2025: Added a co-location with Verizon on Pacific Avenue in Sparks (southwest of I-80 & Rock Blvd).
  • September 30, 2025: Added a co-location with AT&T near Cold Springs Middle School.
  • May 8, 2025: Activated a site on Lakeside Drive near Bartley Ranch Rd.
• Verizon:
  • September 19, 2024: Added a new cell site on Bennie Lane near US-395 & Parr Blvd, co-located on a monopole with T-Mobile.

4. Deployed Download Bandwidth (Washoe County)

In terms of total deployed download bandwidth across low-band, mid-band, and 3 GHz TDD frequencies, the carrier totals stand as follows:

• T-Mobile: 270 MHz total
• Verizon: 255 MHz total (excluding low-power 3.6 GHz CBRS spectrum used at select sites)
• AT&T: 225 MHz total