Sprint receives 2008 Award for Market Leadership for location-based consumer apps, open location platform for developers
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2009--
Sprint (NYSE: S) is breaking new ground in using GPS to deliver
helpful tools to its wireless customers and has again been recognized
for that leadership by research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.
Sprint announced today that Frost & Sullivan has awarded the company the
2008 Award for Market Leadership in the Consumer LBS Market for its
innovative open approach to developing GPS applications for mobile
phones. The award is based on Sprint’s wide variety of consumer GPS
applications and its recent announcement
that it will offer developers open access to two location
aggregation platforms, allowing them to easily create location-based
services for Sprint customers. Frost & Sullivan projects
that the U.S. market for wireless carriers’ consumer LBS applications
will reach approximately $3.3 billion in annual revenues by 2013.
“Sprint recognizes that many of the creative, useful GPS tools our
customers will value will come from third-party developers,” said Kevin
Packingham, senior vice president of product and technology development
for Sprint. “That’s why we have an open approach, including our open
location platform introduced in late 2008, that makes it easier for
developers to create and innovate. We’re pleased to be recognized by
Frost & Sullivan for our industry-leading portfolio of consumer GPS
applications and for empowering more developers to create location-based
applications for our customers.”
"Sprint’s tendency in the LBS sector to date has been to offer a
wide array of LBS solutions to customers,” said Jeanine Sterling,
Industry Research Analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “Sprint’s strategic
decision to offer developers open access to trusted location aggregation
platforms is consistent with Sprint’s philosophy of encouraging and
enabling application development. Frost & Sullivan applauds this move by
Sprint and views it as an act of innovative leadership that will help
expand and evolve the consumer LBS sector.”
Sprint customers have access to a variety of location services
at a great value
Sprint currently offers a wide range of location-based
applications, including:
· Sprint Navigation, which provides
GPS-enabled, turn-by-turn driving directions with 3D moving maps,
one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings.
Sprint Navigation received a 2008 Mobility Award from Frost & Sullivan.
· Sprint Family Locator, which enables a
parent to use their phone or PC to find the location of a family member,
which is displayed on a map along with the address, surrounding
landmarks and accuracy of the information within a specified radius.
Convenient Safety ChecksSM can be
set up so parents receive automatic email or text alerts of a loved
one’s location at a specific time and place.
· Google Maps™ for mobile, which allows users
to view maps and satellite imagery, find local businesses, get driving
directions and view real-time traffic information on the go.
· Loopt, a GPS-based social mapping
service that lets cell phone users share their location with friends,
along with status messages and geo-tagged photos.
· Slifter, which allows Sprint
customers to search and find products at nearby local retailers, see
price and availability information, and get directions to the store.
· WHERE, an application that helps users
connect with the world around them: find friends nearby, discover
restaurants and events with reviews, locate cheap gas, and much more.
Sprint also offers its customers unmatched value in
location-enabled applications, with unlimited use of Sprint Navigation
included at no additional charge in Everything Data, Everything Data
Family, Simply EverythingSM and
Simply EverythingSM Family plans.
These plans include voice, unlimited text, picture and video messaging
and unlimited data at a great value. For instance, the Simply Everything
Family plan saves customers $80 a month over comparable plans from AT&T
and Verizon.[1]
Sprint customers can take advantage of more value with Sprint Family
Locator, available for just $5 per month, which is half the price of
competitor’s family locator services. Casual data usage charges apply
for customers without a Sprint data plan.
Sprint’s open location platform encourages developers to create
location apps
In addition to the wide range of location-based services offered
directly from Sprint, the company’s industry-leading open approach to
working with application developers encourages the creation of
additional location-enabled applications from third parties. Sprint’s
new open location platform allows any third-party developer to use
WaveMarket’s Veriplace™ and uLocate’s WHERE location platforms to easily
create location-based services for Sprint customers. These platforms
protect the privacy and security of Sprint customers and offer
third-party mobile, Web, WAP, SMS and widget developers a consistent way
to create cell phone applications that use the customer’s location
information to provide customized, permission-based information and
services.
Sprint also offers developers the ability to create
location-enabled applications through its Professional Developer Program
(PDP). The Sprint PDP provides advanced tools for members to create,
test and certify applications that customers can use on Sprint phones.
The advanced capabilities include access to GPS and the
application certification process.
The PDP and the open location platform provide developers
straightforward tools to create and launch permission-based,
location-enabled applications for Sprint customers. Sprint’s objective
is to simplify the certification and on-boarding processes, which can be
onerous with other carriers.
Sprint’s history of GPS leadership includes previous Frost &
Sullivan awards
In addition to the award announced today, Sprint previously
received two other Frost & Sullivan awards for 2008:
-
Frost & Sullivan’s 2008 Business Solutions Carrier Leadership
Award in LBS for excellence in successfully deploying and delivering a
comprehensive suite of LBS business solutions. Sprint offers the
largest selection of GPS solutions for business. Working
with a variety of partners to help customers mobilize processes and
better manage workflows, Sprint enables businesses in a variety of
industries to manage assets, inventory and fleets, optimize fleet
routes, manage customer relationships, provide sales force and field
force automation . . . all in the mobile environment.
-
2008 Mobility Award for Sprint Navigation, a service that allows
customers to use their mobile phones as personal navigation devices
for GPS-enabled, turn-by-turn directions. Sprint Navigation includes
3D moving maps, millions of local listings, and real-time intelligent
traffic alerts with one-click rerouting.
Sprint also received the Frost & Sullivan Mobility Award for
Location-based Services Company of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Sprint has the longest history of providing location-based
services in the wireless industry, beginning with the first location and
mobility services in 2000; the first GPS-enabled cell phone to support
E911 services in 2001; the first navigation service on wireless phones
with turn-by-turn driving directions in 2003; and the first family
location service in 2006. Sprint offers more than 20 consumer GPS
applications, including Sprint Navigation, Sprint Family Locator, local
search, real estate, shopping and fitness services.
[1]
Savings claims based on base monthly rates for unlimited anytime minutes
for two lines on Verizon Nationwide Premium Family SharePlan and AT&T
Nation Talk, Text & Web family plan. Excludes taxes, Sprint surcharges,
fees and premium content.
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 fourth 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.
ABOUT FROST & SULLIVAN
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients
to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth,
innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service
provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and
best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and
implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages
over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies,
emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six
continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.
Source: Sprint
Media:
Sprint
Emmy
Anderson, 913-707-0618
emmy.anderson@sprint.com
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