Georgia Counts on Sprint as State Prepares for 2009 Hurricane Season

Sprint Invested More than $41 Million in Network Enhancements in Georgia; Continues Support of State's Largest U.S. Army Installation and State's First Responders.

SAVANNAH, Ga.-- As Georgia residents gear up for the 2009 hurricane season, Sprint (NYSE:S) continues to work closely with local public safety agencies and harden its networks so that critical communications are available to its customers before, during and after a storm.

In 2008, Sprint invested more than $41 million in network expansion and enhancements throughout Georgia and maintains an extensive relationship that ensures critical communications and personnel are available to assist Georgia’s first responders and various public agencies.

One of Sprint’s largest clients in the state of Georgia is Fort Stewart - the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River. Sprint services the staff and military personnel of Fort Stewart, including its hospital and training facilities, with thousands of Nextel Direct Connect® BlackBerry® devices.

“Sprint’s wireless coverage and the Nextel BlackBerry® devices have played a critical role over the years in helping soldiers at Fort Stewart effectively and securely coordinate the countless activities, trainings and deployments that occur here and to communicate with each other on a moment’s notice,” said Capt. Carl Strickland of Fort Stewart.

In addition to hurricane preparations in Georgia and other coastal states, Sprint invested approximately $1.8 billion in capital in 2008, largely to enhance its networks nationwide, including its Nextel Direct Connect® services. Sprint continues to be the undisputed leader in push-to-talk services. First responders across the country rely on Nextel Direct Connect® services because they are consistent in their ability to remain fully operational, even during crisis events.

“Ensuring backup power to sites with high call volumes and ones that provide coverage to large-scale events, hurricane evacuation routes, public safety agencies, hospitals, major airports and government facilities has and will always be a top priority in Sprint’s customer support during hurricane season,” said Richard Blanc, vice president for Sprint field services and operations. “Hurricane-prone communities on the Georgia coast need our commitment to network redundancy and reliability, and we’re proud to continue excelling in this area.”

In fact, recent history has proven that Sprint’s Field Engineering & Operations (FE&O) division and the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT) have a great record of providing dependable network support and wireless services for critical events in the state of Georgia.

For the 2004 G8 Summit, which took place at Sea Island, Ga., Sprint network technicians took less than six months to build 38 network cell sites to support wireless communications for more than 60 federal, state and local agencies. Additionally, the Sprint ERT and FE&O division deployed and used the following:

Three Satellite Cell on Light Trucks (SatCOLTS) and seven Cell Sites on Wheels (COWs) to meet unique and last-minute mobile coverage needs.
Temporary bi-directional amplifiers to support in-building requirements.
Round the clock resource and personnel support throughout the event.
In preparation for the 2009 hurricane season and other significant situations like the 2004 G8 Summit, the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT), trains for the worst-case scenario. The team provides businesses and first responders immediate access to mobile communications for emergencies and field training exercises. It also maintains a 24-hour hotline, 365 days a year, to rapidly address the needs of first responders.

Sprint’s network and business continuity teams will also be pre-staged in hurricane-prone states with portable generators, SatCOLTS and COWs to restore wireless service quickly for customers and disaster response efforts.

For more information about Sprint Nextel hurricane preparation efforts, or to learn what you can do to prepare for a major storm, visit: www.sprint.com/hurricaneinformation.