Sprint Showcases the Power of Mobility for Business Customer

Mark Walter

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — 04/05/2006

WHAT: Sprint (NYSE: S) is showcasing new and emerging wireless data capabilities for business customers as part of its activities at CTIA Wireless, April 5-7 in Las Vegas. Sprint is located on the exhibit floor, booth number 1439. Visitors to the booth will have access to a breadth of products and services that help extend the workplace. Highlights include:

Network
Next-Generation Mobile Broadband (EV-DO) Capabilities - The power of Sprint's networks and unique assets make it best-positioned to deliver unmatched mobility products and services for customers. Sprint's strategic plan includes building this next-generation technology to the broadest extent of any competitor. Sprint plans to make EV-DO Release A service broadly available by the end of first quarter of 2007 to about 154 million people. Using select devices at CTIA, Sprint will demonstrate EV-DO Rev. A technology which enables peak download data rates of 3.1Mbps and peak upload data rates of 1.8 Mbps.

Devices
Sprint Mobile Broadband PCMCIA Rev-A Cards - Sprint expects to start making EV-DO-Rev. A Connection Cards commercially available in the third quarter of 2006. Sprint will feature two models - the Sprint Mobile Broadband Connection Card by Novatel Wireless™ (Merlin S720) and the Sprint Mobile Broadband Connection Card by Sierra Wireless™ (AirCard 595®) - to demonstrate the benefits of Sprint Mobile Broadband service.

Sprint Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Router - Attendees can view certified Wi-Fi routers from Linksys and Junxion that can be used in conjunction with a Sprint Mobile Broadband Connection Card to enable a hotspot for access to Sprint's Mobile Broadband service.

Sprint Mobile Broadband USB Device - Sprint is offering a preview of its soon-to-come Mobile Broadband card that plugs into a USB port enabling more devices to access Sprint Mobile Broadband service on the Sprint Power Vision Network. Sprint expects to make these types of devices commercially available later this year.

Embedded Solutions - Sprint is demonstrating its latest in rugged and embedded module device lineup including the Symbol MC9097 mobile computer, the industry's first rugged mobile computer to offer Nextel walkie-talkie capabilities. Sprint will also feature select rugged and semi-rugged Panasonic Toughbook notebook computers with built-in access to Sprint Mobile Broadband service with the embedded EM5625 OEM module from Sierra Wireless. Additionally, Sprint will be displaying machine-to-machine devices for use in wireless WAN, telemetry and fleet management solutions.

Applications
Sprint Mobile Workgroup Solutions - Sprint is launching a new set of CDMA mobile business applications that use GPS technology, further strengthening its ability to meet customer mobility requirements on both iDEN and CDMA networks. On-site demonstrations focus on location-based service applications for navigation, tracking and field force automation. Sprint was recently named 2005 Location Based Services Company of the Year by Frost and Sullivan.

Sprint Easy Office - Sprint has made it easier for small businesses to leverage the capabilities of a full-featured wireless messaging service without the installation, maintenance or expense of on-site hardware and software. Using select Sprint and Nextel handsets, including all CDMA and iDEN BlackBerry devices. Customers experience the convenience of real-time access to their calendar, email, contact and task lists even while away from the office.

Sprint Mobility Management - Sprint is enhancing its industry-first end-to-end wireless device and billing management solution with new capabilities including intercarrier device administration, increased security features and a detailed customer portal allowing IT administrators over-the-air access to better control and manage company-sponsored wireless handsets.

WHEN: April 5-7, 2006

WHERE: Sprint, Booth # 1439
CTIA Wireless 2006 - Las Vegas Convention Center

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of communications services bringing mobility to consumer, business and government customers. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering industry leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
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Mark Walter, Exec Dir
www.jamaministry.com

xchpstang · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:51 am Post subject:

Sounds like they've been listening to all the rants on this board. USB EVDO device, more routers to choose from, etc.... Nice!

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2004

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/ZDM/story?id=1808292

April 5

LAS VEGAS — Sprint is making high-speed wireless more accessible and more flexible with an EV-DO-to-WiFi router and USB EV-DO dongle, carrier representatives said today at the CTIA wireless trade show.

The company will also build out the nation's fastest, widest-area data network over the next two years, according to Sprint's chief network officer Kathryn Walker.

Sprint will start selling a Linksys router during the second half of this year which can turn any Sprint EV-DO card connection into an 802.11g local-area network, according to business marketing program manager Larry Sherrard. The router, which doesn't yet have a model number, will cost "slightly under $200" and won't require any changes in subscribers' service plans, which currently cost $59.99/month for unlimited high-speed access, or $79.99/month for people without a Sprint voice phone.

Several manufacturers, most notably Kyocera, have put EV-DO to Wi-Fi routers on the market. But up until now, those products were shunned by the biggest wireless carriers in the US, who frowned on people sharing out EV-DO connections. Sprint will be selling their Linksys router both online and through retail stores, Sherrard said.

Click here to read more of PC Magazine's coverage of the CTIA show in Las Vegas.

Sprint will also sell an EV-DO USB dongle later this year, according to Sprint spokeswoman Amy Schiska-Lombard. The USB dongle will help owners of laptops like several Apple Powerbook models that don't have PC Card slots. Schiska-Lombard didn't disclose a price or model number for the dongle.

The new EV-DO products are part of a continuing, aggressive EV-DO rollout. Sprint aims to have 190 million people will be covered by Sprint EV-DO at the end of this year, and 100% of its CDMA network covered by EV-DO Rev A by the end of 2007, according to Walker. Rev A raises EV-DO's downlink speeds from 2.4 Mbit/sec to 3.1 Mbit/sec, but more importantly, raises uplink speeds from 153 kbit/sec to 1.8 Mbit/sec and greatly reduces latency. Sprint needs full EV-DO Rev A coverage so they can eventually replace their existing Nextel iDEN network, Walker said. Nextel's unique network technology has an excellent push-to-talk function that can only adequately be copied with Rev A, she said.

By the end of 2008, Sprint will also increase their number of CDMA cell sites by 40 percent, Walker said.

"Not only are we way ahead of Cingular, we're now ahead of Verizon," Sprint chief operating officer Len Lauer said.

EV-DO isn't the end of Sprint's network innovations; the company will also announce their choice of fourth-generation (4G) network technology during the third quarter of this year, according to Lauer. Sprint will deploy their 4G technology on their currently-unused 2.5-GHz national network, which right now covers 85 percent of the households in the nation's top 100 markets, Walker said.

Sprint will use the 4G network for "wireless interactive multimedia," including high-quality video broadcasting, Sprint senior vice president for product development Oliver Valente said. "There will also be, perhaps, a more consumer electronics focus, such as embedding it in cameras … and sort of a cable modem on the go."

xenophon · EVDO Addict Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 2004

PCSIntel.com is reporting that Franklin will be the provider for the Sprint USB EVDO.

Michael · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject:

We will be reporting a lot more info tomorrow after our Sprint meeting:

CTIA 2006
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