The Sprint Simply Everything Plan(R) + Mobile Broadband = $599 savings annually vs. comparable Verizon plan
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OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 13, 2009--
Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced plans to bring a WiFi hotspot to
customers virtually anywhere and everywhere -- and whenever they need it
-- on any WiFi-enabled device.
Sprint plans to launch the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 intelligent mobile
hotspot device for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year
service agreement (excluding taxes). The MiFi 2200, available in the
first week of June on www.sprint.com,
in Sprint retail stores and other select channels, will allow users to
connect to the Internet by bridging WiFi-enabled devices like laptops,
MP3 players and gaming devices to America’s most dependable 3G network*
– the EVDO Rev A Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. Sprint will launch the
service under the Sprint Mobile Hotspot name, and it will be the first
in the U.S. to support MiFi’s GPS capabilities, allowing users to take
advantage of select location and mapping applications.
“You can hold the MiFi 2200 in the palm of your hand, slip it in your
pocket, even place it on a beach towel if you’re lying under the sun and
wirelessly connect your laptop, MP3 player and gaming device to the
Internet all at once,” said Steve Elfman, president of network,
wholesale and product, Sprint. “Now customers will be able to use one
mobile broadband device – the MiFi 2200 – to connect multiple personal
devices or multiple users. If I have a WiFi-enabled device, I don’t need
to find a WiFi hotspot. The MiFi 2200 creates one for me.”
Save money and cut the cord
Business and consumer customers may choose from the following service
plans for the MiFi 2200:
-
$59.99 per month mobile broadband only plan (excluding taxes and
surcharges)**
or
-
$149.99 per month Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband (phone
plus device connectivity -- excluding taxes and surcharges)**
Both plans include up to 5 GB per month and 5 cents per megabyte
overage for the MiFi 2200.
The Simply Everything Plan + Mobile Broadband, unique in the industry,
was introduced this February to give customers the benefits of the Now
Network on their phone and laptop for one price. The plan includes
unlimited text, picture and video messaging, GPS navigation, email and
Web surfing on their phone, plus 5 GB of blazing Internet access on
their mobile broadband device – all for just $149.99 per month, a
savings of $599 per year vs. comparable Verizon plans.1 Now,
for that same price, customers can use the MiFi 2200 and connect to more
devices at once.
Sprint continues to innovate and deliver value
The Sprint Mobile Hotspot service with the MiFi 2200 is part of Sprint’s
game-changing open approach to rolling out new types of wireless
services and delivering the significant value and capabilities of the
Now Network to its customers. The MiFi 2200, a portable, secure and
truly wireless mobile broadband access device, is the first of its kind
to be added to Sprint’s portfolio – and one of several innovative mobile
broadband devices that Sprint will announce this year. Sprint plans to
offer a portfolio of 3G, 4G and dual-mode devices that will take
advantage of the Now Network.
How MiFi works
MiFi creates a personal cloud of high-speed Internet connectivity that
can be easily shared among up to five users and a variety of
WiFi-enabled devices through its connection to America’s most dependable
3G network,* the EVDO Rev A Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. For example:
-
College student: a college student tucks her MiFi 2200 in her backpack
to study with friends at the park and uses it to listen to streaming
radio on her MP3 player while she connects to the school’s Intranet on
her laptop to get details on a class assignment. She takes a break to
take pictures of her pals with her Wi-Fi enabled digital camera, and
the camera uses the MiFi’s signal to upload the photos to Facebook
while she emails her completed report to her professor, then uses the
device’s GPS capability to find a nearby pizza place for lunch.
-
Business travelers: Two business travelers share a cab to the airport,
then wait for their flight. Sharing the signal of one MiFi 2200 device
that is safely tucked away in a briefcase, they download emails and
surf the Internet on their notebooks and stream music to their MP3
players.
-
Portable retail: Five vendors at a local art fair have kiosks in close
proximity. Accessing one MiFi 2200 device’s signal, they each run a
credit card point-of-sale device over WiFi and have secure backhaul.
Key Features of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot
-
Easily fits in the palm of your hand -- dimensions: 3.50”x 2.32” x
0.35” and weight: 2.05 oz.
-
Brushed aluminum finish
-
Provides mobile broadband Rev A Internet access wirelessly
-
Supports up to five WiFi-enabled devices
-
Simple to connect with Hands-Free Activation (OMA-DM). No software
installation required
-
Universal Wi-Fi compatibility
-
Advanced security through WPA2-PSK, WEP and SPI Firewall
-
MiFi GPS capabilities to take advantage of select location and mapping
applications, such as getting driving or walking directions or finding
the best restaurant nearby
-
Battery provides four hours of user time, 40 hours standby on single
charge
The MiFi 2200 is ideal for businesses looking to extend the speed and
anywhere convenience of America’s most dependable 3G network*. Soon
after its retail launch, Sprint Wholesale will also be offering a
version of the Novatel MiFi 2200 to wholesale wireless partners.
“Supporting more than one WiFi-enabled device, businesses can enable
their employees to cost-effectively share a connection when mobile with
other employees, vendors or customers,” Elfman noted. “Now business
professionals like claims adjusters, mobile professionals,
retail employees and field service technicians can easily perform
multiple functions using various WiFi devices, all over one connection."
"There are an abundance of consumer devices with integrated WiFi that
lose their functionality when WiFi isn't available," said Michael
Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret. "The
ability to seamlessly add WAN capabilities to this multitude of devices
will empower consumers to use their devices the way they want to use
them and wherever they want to use them."
The availability of the MiFi 2200 will further deliver on Sprint’s
promise to offer businesses and consumers a faster and more robust
Internet experience in cities across the nation than any other wireless
service from a national carrier. Sprint recently made history by
launching 4G in 2008 in Baltimore and is the first national carrier to
offer wireless access to both 3G and 4G networks on one device – the
3G/4G USB Modem U300. Sprint has new 4G devices planned for 2009 and
2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops and a
small-office-home-office broadband modem.
ABOUT SPRINT NEXTEL
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
two wireless networks serving more than 49 million customers at the end
of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
* “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests
for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength
for the top 50 most populous markets from Jan. ’08 to Feb. ’09.
** Two year service agreement required. No discounts apply.
MiFi is a trademark of Novatel Wireless, Inc.
1 - Savings claim based on base monthly rates for unlimited anytime
minutes options for Verizon Nationwide Premium (plus 5GB Broadband
Access). Excludes taxes, Sprint surcharges, fees and premium content.
Based on plans available at publication date.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5963794&lang=en
Source: Sprint Nextel
Sprint
Jennifer Walsh Kiefer, 913-794-2950
jennifer.r.walsh@sprint.com
