OVERLAND PARK, Kan. --Sprint (NYSE:S) Business Markets Group (BMG) continued to make strong contributions to Sprint's performance in the first quarter, starting 2010 with an expanded solutions portfolio, broadened 4G device selection, M2M partnerships to benefit businesses and strong third-party endorsements reinforcing the unit's momentum in the marketplace.
* Major business market wins in the first quarter contributed to Sprint's best year-over-year improvement in net post-paid subscriber results in five years. Notable wins in the quarter included converged solutions, applications and handset sales to a cross-section of businesses from Kayentis, a Philadelphia-based software provider, to the Greater Chicago Food Depository - both of whom purchased 4G solutions.
* Business customers continue to benefit from Sprint's rapid deployment of the first commercially available 4G service from a national carrier in the United States. In the quarter, Sprint launched 4G service in Houston and Sprint 4G is now available in 32 markets serving over 40 million people. As previously announced by Clearwire Corp. (NASDAQ: CLWR), coverage is expected to reach up to 120 million people by the end of 2010 including deployments in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Kansas City and Washington, D.C.
* New products continue to bring the 4G network to life for businesses. In the quarter, Sprint launched the award-winning and critically acclaimed Sprint Overdrive TM 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot and announced the world's first 3G/4G Android TM handset, HTC EVO TM 4G -- both of which enable a multimedia experience for businesses at speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G networks.*
* In the quarter, BMG continued to broaden and sell its solutions portfolio bolstered by 4G, a first-tier global IP network and a growing eco-system of M2M partners.
o The first quarter opened with a strong emphasis on vertical industry solutions reinforced by Sprint CEO Dan Hesse's keynote address at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) Conference.
o Sprint announced a key strategic partnership in the education vertical with Blackboard Inc., to launch Blackboard Mobile Learn,(TM) a unique mobile application that transforms students' and educators' mobile devices into anytime learning tools.
o Also in the quarter, BMG announced a partnership with Tango Networks to enhance Sprint's Mobile Integration solution consisting of IP telephony, unified communications and wireless mobility.
o Sprint's Emergency Response Team extended its leadership in the public safety market during the quarter, providing solutions composed of wireless equipment, infrastructure and operational support to public safety professionals. Among those served were officials at the recent West Virginia mine disaster.
o Sprintalso established orexpanded key machine-to-machine (M2M) partnerships with Axeda, Lenovo, Walsh Wireless, Top Global and ZTE USA that enable 3G and 4G solutions targeting vertical markets.
* Third parties continue to recognize BMG performance with top rankings and awards. Most notably, BMG won top honors for service to business customers, earning Frost & Sullivan's top ranking for best Service Level Agreements on MPLS service. The win followed anotherhonor announced in the quarter from Yankee Group and Mobile Enterprise Magazine for best overall wireless voice and data satisfaction among enterprise customers.
* Finally, the company's financial strength continued to elicit confidence from business customers as Sprint reported a cash, cash equivalent and short-term investment balance of $4.4 billion in the quarter. The company generated $506 million in free cash flow and expects to continue to generate a meaningful level of positive free cash flow during the rest of 2010.
"Sprint's Business Markets Group continued to build its brand around what customers want most - end-to-end solutions, mobile broadband and M2M capabilities," said Paget Alves, president-Sprint Business Markets Group. "In all three categories, we gathered good momentum while broadening our product portfolio and delivering value-based pricing that customers have come to trust from BMG."
Alves added, "Our intent is to continue to differentiate in the B2B marketplace, sharply contrasting our products, solutions and capabilities from our rivals." Sprint's Business Markets Group is composed of sales, support, marketing and operations personnel solely dedicated to enterprise, small and medium-sized business and public sector customers. BMG delivers wireless, wireline and converged solutions for companies, drawing on its 3G wireless network, 4G capabilities, the fastest national push-to-talk network, a first-tier Global IP network and a comprehensive solutions portfolio of devices and applications.
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 served more than 48 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, and the first and only wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile and Assurance Wireless and instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
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