News Release

Company rolls out "red carpet" service to real stars -- its customers -- Are you Ready Now for Sprint's Now Network?

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Sep 19, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For years, there was a model for mobility. It was one that frequently drove customers past the brink of frustration. Even a rocket scientist would struggle to figure out how to use the devices and applications, let alone decipher the product manuals. And where could the customer turn for help?

Sprint (NYSE:S) says enough is enough. It's time for a new model. It's time to put personal and simple into wireless.

In a new broadcast ad making its debut this weekend and airing prominently during Sunday's Emmy Awards, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse says Sprint has the answer for wireless customers with Ready Now -- a revolutionary program that offers the human touch to help customers unleash the power of their new phones.

"Technology is only great when you know how to use it," Hesse says in the ad. "First we revolutionized wireless plans. Now we want you to get the most from these amazing devices."

With Ready Now, Sprint store associates set up the applications customers want on their phones and then explain how it all works -- one on one. Sounds simple, but no other wireless carrier provides the same level of specialized service.

The core of the new ad's message is simplicity for the customer from end to end -- from helping select a device, to explaining its features, to clarifying the billing. Simplicity is central to unleashing the power and speed of the Now Network. It's also at the core of Sprint's efforts to revolutionize mobile customers' experience -- one customer at a time.

"Our goal is to give customers a worry-free experience: simplicity, usability, personalization, price/value and good, friendly service," said John Garcia, president of Sprint's CDMA unit. "Then people will start to realize that Sprint is a different company. Don't believe it? Shoot a note to Dan@sprint.com and tell us about your experience and let us know what you'd like to see next."

Linking Simplicity, Customer Experience with the Now Network

The new ad is the third featuring Hesse, who was named Sprint's CEO in December. Sprint's strategy, just like the new ad, is about more than just Ready Now. Ready Now follows the award-winning One Click wireless user interface, the award-winning Instinct and a series of other recent Sprint innovations -- all on the heels of the groundbreaking Simply Everything pricing plan -- that collectively showcase Sprint's ambitious plan to revolutionize mobile customers' experience.

Sprint's Now Network matches people's needs with the right technology to get the best wireless experience possible. While speed is integral, the Now Network is equally about usability (the Instinct, One Click, unique mobile data content like NFL Live) and worry-free use (Simply Everything and Ready Now).

In market trials of Ready Now late this summer, the program's performance consistently exceeded expectations -- 92 percent of participants rated the Ready Now experience "Very Satisfying."

"Mobility is all about data these days -- what data you have, what data can do for you," Garcia said. "But data can be complex. Not everyone is comfortable with it. Sometimes it's generational -- more than half of customers under 30 use their phone's data features while only 12 percent of customers over 30 use them. The challenge is that the industry's customer service hasn't kept up with the increasing complexity of mobility. Ready Now, along with new phones and applications, reflects a wireless carrier stepping out of the box and personalizing the experience for customers."

Building On a Series of Firsts

Ready Now is only the latest in a series of actions by Sprint aimed at revolutionizing the customer experience.

• Simplicity. Simply Everything introduced the novel idea that customers could use their Sprint phones for all their worth -- talking, texting, surfing, viewing and more -- without worrying about the meter running.
• Groundbreaking device. Next step was a great device to appreciate the power of Sprint's Now Network and the value of Simply Everything. Enter the Instinct, one of the hottest-selling devices in history and a study in simplicity.
• Personal service. But as great as the Instinct and other smartphones are, customers still found them hard to use and understand. Ready Now cuts through the mystery and frustration.
• Invitation to personalize. The revolution continued with One Click, a user interface that lets customers access the features they use most. The application -- LAPTOP Magazine's Overall Best Product or Service -- also lets them personalize their phones with a rich set of data services that includes Google and YouTube. No one else in the industry has yet to match the application.
• Customer exclusives. Exclusive live content on the Now Network is still another part of the revolution. Sprint launched NFL Mobile Live recently, which broke records for number of downloads in its first weekend. The application lets customers listen to any NFL game as it happens, watch live streaming action of NFL Network games, check stats of their fantasy players, and get updated scores from their phones.

The Sprint broadcast ads featuring Dan Hesse are available for viewing with this news release. You can also visit http://www.sprint.com/readynow for direct access to Ready Now store locations and online appointment schedules.

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 nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2008; 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.

SOURCE: Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel
Media Contacts:
Melinda Tiemeyer, 913-794-1089
melinda.g.tiemeyer@sprint.com
or
John Taylor, 571-437-4685
john.b.taylor@sprint.com