Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sprint First to Launch WebCapTel(R) On the Go, a New and Free Mobile Solution for Hard of Hearing Customers

Allows customers to read word-for-word captions on select Sprint devices

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint (NYSE:S) announced the availability of Sprint WebCapTel(R) On the Go, a new, free mobile Web-based service that allows hard of hearing customers to read word-for-word captions on Windows Mobile 6 Web browsers, such as the Diamond by HTC, Mogul by HTC, Palm Treo 800w and the MOTO Q9c by Motorola. In addition, this service is also compatible with the Safari 2.0 Web browser. This new service is expected to help an estimated 30 million Americans with hearing loss.

"Sprint is committed to equal access to all individuals," said Mike Ligas, director of Sprint Relay. "As such, we pride ourselves on offering the newest technology to hard of hearing individuals. This new solution offers the hard of hearing community mobility by being able to read real-time Web-based captions on Windows-enabled mobile devices."

With Sprint WebCapTel On the Go, users can make calls using two phones -- reading captions on a wireless phone and listening and speaking on a second phone. Prior to making a call, the user would log onto www.sprintcaptel.com on one mobile device to read text captions of what the other party is saying. For more information on Sprint's wireless devices and select plans, go to the Sprint Relay Store at www.sprintrelaystore.com.

Sprint WebCapTel On the Go is an extension of Sprint's existing WebCapTel service, which also provides captions during phone calls, but requires a computer with an Internet browser of Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 3.0 or Safari 2.0 on which to display the captions. This new and free service is available almost anywhere as long as the wireless device is equipped with Windows Mobile 6 or an Apple Safari Web browser. Sprint WebCapTel On the Go changes spoken words and sounds heard on a telephone into words to read.

"Sprint WebCapTel On the Go allows individuals with hearing loss the mobility that many of us take for granted," said Robert Engelke, president of Ultratec, Inc., the company that developed CapTel technology. "It gives people with hearing loss the independence to make and receive telephone calls without the necessity of wireline phones or computer connectivity."

This free service is available for customers anywhere in the United States and within U.S. Territories. However, calls to or from international locations, such as Canada or Mexico, are not available. To learn more about this free service, visit www.sprintcaptel.com or www.sprintrelay.com/webcaptel.htm

CapTel and WebCapTel are registered trademarks of Ultratec, Inc.

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 nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second 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.

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