Sprint to add 750 more jobs in Chicago area

Sprint said today that it will add another 750 new jobs in the Chicago area and invest nearly $150 million to upgrade its network here by late 2016.

The wireless company, which continues to battle AT&T and Verizon Wireless, said the 750 new jobs are in addition to the 300 it brought in March when it launched the Sprint for Chicago initiative to boost its customer service.

The new retail positions will serve more customers and provide more wireless experts for Sprint's Direct 2 You program and network technicians and engineers.

"We are in the midst of a historic turnaround at Sprint and as we continue to attract more customers to our network, we need more employees to serve their needs," Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a statement. "Our innovative local market approach in Chicago brings us closer to our consumers and allows us to connect one-on-one with them so that we can exceed their expectations and create loyal customers for life."

Sprint already employs more than 800 employees and has more than 160 stores in Chicago and the suburbs. Tuesday's announcement doubles the company's head count.

Chicago will be the first Sprint city upgraded to an even faster network with the deployment of LTE Advanced technologies. New cell sites will be located in neighborhoods throughout the city.