Sprint now offers service to Sprint and Nextel customers in the 20
busiest underground Metro stations in the Washington, D.C. area’s subway
system
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2009--
Today, Sprint (NYSE: S) announced the availability of Sprint and Nextel
service to customers in the 20 busiest underground stations in the
Washington, D.C. Metro system. The move promises to improve the workday
commute for hundreds of thousands of passengers who depend on Metro to
travel between their homes and workplaces each day. It also will make
touring the historic sites of the Washington, D.C. area easier for
millions of tourists who visit the Capitol area annually.
“By extending Sprint and Nextel wireless coverage to these stations, our
customers who are metro riders will be able to stay in closer touch with
the people important to them,” said Matrona Busch, director-Retail Sales
for Sprint. “More importantly, this will strengthen the ability of
public safety to respond to emergencies when they occur in the Metro
system. Sprint is proud to be a part of this team. We look forward to
expanding and enhancing our Sprint and Nextel coverage as the remaining
phases of the project are complete.”
Sprint expects to offer service in the Metro’s remaining underground
stations by the fall of 2010. Service should be available in 50 percent
of the Metro system’s tunnels by the fall of 2011, with complete
coverage expected to be established in all the tunnels by the fall of
2012.
While waiting for a train at these stations, Sprint customers will now
be able to use the most dependable 3G network** to check their email,
update their Facebook status, or even watch a live NFL game, while
Nextel customers will be able to use the fastest national push-to-talk
network to connect with friends in less than a second.
While other carriers will also offer service, Sprint service offers
distinct advantages, available only on the NOW network. Nextel Direct
Connect® on Nextel phones has the only “off-network” capability, Direct
TalkSM, which is critical for public-safety personnel during
emergency-response situations. This all-digital off-network capability
works anywhere, anytime between compatible devices (it has a
short-range, radio-to-radio capability) to provide a critical
communications option when the network is unavailable.* It can be a
great “back-up” communications tool in times of emergency, network
outage, etc.
Stations with this expanded service include: Ballston, Bethesda,
Columbia Heights, Crystal City, Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Farragut
West, Federal Triangle SW, Foggy Bottom-GWU, Friendship Heights, Gallery
Place-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, L'Enfant Plaza, McPherson Square,
Metro Center, Pentagon, Pentagon City, Rosslyn, Smithsonian and Union
Station.
* Environment, terrain, structures, in-building use and other factors
may affect range/performance.
** “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G
data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for
the top 50 most populous U.S. markets (including PR) from January 2008
to July 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default
to separate network when 3G unavailable.
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 almost 49 million customers at the end of
the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy
has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction
scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
Source: Sprint
Media:
Sprint
John Taylor, 571-437-4685
john.b.taylor@sprint.com
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