News Release

BMG will offer a unique combination of 3G and 4G technologies and applications, including integrated wireless-wireline services

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 31, 2009-- Sprint (NYSE: S) announced today the formation of a new unit dedicated solely to business and government users of communications services. Composed of more than 4,000 sales, support, marketing and operations personnel, the Sprint Business Markets Group enables a sharpened focus on the needs of enterprise, general business and public sector customers.

“Sprint is in a unique position with regard to its technology deployment and applications capabilities,” said Paget Alves, president of Business Markets Group, Sprint. “We have the nation’s most dependable 3G mobile broadband network,* 4G capabilities that are well ahead of our competitors, the fastest national push-to-talk network, and Sprint’s leadership in wireless-wireline integration. As a result, we can deliver productivity-enhancing solutions at a time when economic pressures make that especially important to our business customers.”

Sprint previously managed its business, government and consumer sales under an umbrella organization. The new and separate unit brings Sprint’s business, government, 4G, IP wireline, international and strategic alliance teams into a distinct sales and marketing organization with a singular focus on business and government customers. Additionally, Sprint will continue to provide those customers with enhanced customer care services, including individualized support from specially-trained agents for business and government customers.

Roger Entner, senior vice president and head of the Research and Insights Telecom Practice for The Nielsen Company, said of the newly-formed unit, “Creating a Business Markets Group that combines all business sales assets of Sprint makes a lot of sense. Business sales at Sprint are poised to grow at a fast clip. As business preference shifts to buying solutions such as converged services and mobile business applications, the Business Markets Group should be better able to execute than under the previous structure.”

Alves continued, “Business and government users have the most to gain by embracing mobile data and by converging their wireless and wireline communications. Both of these areas are growing faster than the wireless market generally, and a very large part of that growth is driven by business customers, who have much more complex needs than consumers. Sprint is responding to this demand with centralized expertise and unique applications for business.”

Sprint’s innovative technology and expertise is helping a variety of businesses and government agencies better serve their customers and more efficiently manage their operations. Recent examples include --

• Ford Motor Company -- Beginning this spring, 2009 Ford F-Series and E-Series vehicles – and later in 2009, Transit Connect vehicles – will offer an in-dashboard PC with internet connectivity via the nationwide 3G Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. This new capability offers businesses with field workers an unprecedented opportunity for job-site productivity gains and cost reductions.
• Presidential inauguration -- Sprint played a central role in this year’s historic presidential inauguration, providing devices and priority services to public safety officials. The company coordinated with law enforcement and security details to ensure immediate, dependable communications during the event.
• Safelite AutoGlass -- By working with Sprint, Safelite is experiencing increased productivity and cost savings through integrated wireless and wireline services. Additionally, Sprint was selected to be Safelite’s primary partner for its national rollout of a custom mobile Blackberry® solution to more than 3,000 service technicians.

Along with a strong track record with leading businesses and the government, Sprint Business Markets Group launches with a positive reputation validated by independent, third-party observers. For example, CIO Insight magazine’s 2008 Vendor Value Survey of U.S.-based IT executives ranked Sprint as the top wireless vendor for value.

Business Markets Group will continue to build on Sprint’s business leadership with an extensive portfolio of business products, services and applications. Get more information about these business offerings at http://www.sprint.com/business/ or check what Sprint offers businesses by distinct segments --

Small businesses -- http://www.sprint.com/business/index.html

Medium to Large businesses -- http://www.sprint.com/business/mb/index.html

Government and public sector -- http://www.sprint.com/business/gov/index.html

Read about the latest solutions for businesses and government in these recent news releases --

4G: Sprint’s 4G market rollout plans for 2009 (3/25/09)

GPS: Sprint Recognized by Frost & Sullivan for Leadership in GPS (2/25/09)

Network: J.D. Power and Associates Recognizes Sprint for "Highest Call Quality Performance" in the West Region in a Tie (3/18/09)

Nextel Direct Connect: Sprint Launches Game-Changing Pricing Plans to Bring More Value to Nextel Direct Connect Business Users (1/22/09)

Sprint Customers Can Push-to-Send Location Information with NextMail Locator on Select Nextel Direct Connect Phones (1/12/09)

Unified Communications/MPLS: Businesses Benefit From Sprint's Convergence Leadership When Adopting Unified Communications (2/3/09)

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.

* “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 June ’08 to Nov. ’08.

Source: Sprint

Sprint
Stephanie Greenwood, 913-794-3658
Stephanie.greenwood@sprint.com