While Verizon and AT&T are busy locking horns in the battle over network supremacy, Sprint is doing its best to keep up. PC Magazine reports the third-largest wireless carrier revealed today that it has begun work on its 4G LTE network in nine new cities. The new markets include:

• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
• Oakland/Fremont/Hayward, Calif.
• Key West, Fla.
• Fort Smith, Ark.
• Michigan City/La Porte, Ind.
• Bloomington, Ind.
• Eau Claire, Wis.
• Arrdmore, Okla.
• McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas

Sprint debuted its 4G LTE service in July and plans to have 125 cities on its LTE grid within "the coming months." No more specific dates are being offered by the company at this time.

This number is well behind AT&T and Verizon, with the latter promising to have its entire 3G network converted by mid-2013. On Thursday, Verizon is flipping the switch on LTE coverage for more than 20 cities, including much of Missouri and large chunks of Wyoming and Arizona.