Sprint is the launch carrier for Sharp’s first...

Sprint is the launch carrier for Sharp’s first Aquos-branded smartphone for the U.S. market, Sprint said in a news release Tuesday. The Aquos Crystal will be available through Sprint and its prepaid brands Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA and to SoftBank in Japan as a result of the Sprint/SoftBank merger, Sprint said. Currently, Spark is available in 27 markets offering average wireless speeds of 6-15 Mbps, Sprint said, and the carrier hopes to reach 100 million users with Spark by year-end, it said. Phone availability hasn’t been announced.