Sprint Extends its Fixed Mobile Convergence Capability for Businesses

With BlackBerry(R) Mobile Voice System from Sprint, businesses can better control costs and work more productively.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & ORLANDO, Fla., -- Sprint (NYSE:S) announced plans to launch BlackBerry(R) Mobile Voice System (MVS) as the next generation of Sprint Mobile Extension. BlackBerry MVS enables businesses to give users a converged desk phone and mobile device experience on BlackBerry(R) smartphones. Sprint is one of the first carriers in the world to bring BlackBerry MVS technology to market, building upon years of leadership of providing Sprint Mobile Extension to more than 75,000 mobile workers.

BlackBerry MVS integrates the functions of a desk phone with a BlackBerry smartphone to help mobile workers be accessible from virtually anywhere for improved productivity, enhanced collaboration with co-workers, and backend management and IT controls.

Busy mobile workers can streamline their communications with one corporate phone number that simultaneously rings up to four devices, one caller ID and a consolidated voice mailbox. BlackBerry smartphone users can access enterprise desk phone functions like transfer, allow and block callers, and seamlessly handoff of calls between BlackBerry smartphones and desk phones using the integrated, intuitive interface on their BlackBerry smartphones.

Fayetteville State University (FSU) in North Carolina has relied on Sprint Mobile Extension for immediate communication for almost two years. FSU has realized proven cost savings and productivity gains, seeing this solution as a necessity, not a luxury. "FSU is a 100-acre campus and our staff is constantly moving throughout the university. This solution gives us flexibility to adapt and control how our employees work, whether staff is remote or mobile on campus. We can control and deliver time-sensitive and critical communications virtually anytime, anywhere," said Joseph Vittorelli, FSU's Director of Systems and Infrastructure. Vittorelli noted that the volume of voice messages he received went from over 30 to roughly two daily. "We are in the process of migrating to BlackBerry MVS and are excited to optimize the experience for all of our BlackBerry smartphone users."

Designed to integrate with both TDM and IP PBX systems, BlackBerry MVS leverages an organization's existing telecom infrastructure and extends the value of their investment to mobile workers. BlackBerry MVS gives IT and telecom administrators the ability to gain more control over their mobile costs, such as routing calls from a BlackBerry smartphone through the PBX, as well as call logging and auditing to better comply with regulatory mandates. Also, by setting voice service usage policies on a per-user basis, costs can be better controlled.

"Building on its convergence leadership and the power of its Now Network, Sprint is focused on providing fixed mobile convergence solutions to provide more value, simplicity and enhanced productivity that extend the value of a business customer's existing telecom investment. BlackBerry MVS is an extension of that portfolio," said Tim Donahue, vice president - Business Marketing, Sprint. "We're in a unique position to deliver innovative, converged solutions that leverage our unique wireless and wireline assets and bring more value to businesses, which is critical in this challenging business environment."

BlackBerry MVS supports BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry(R) Device Software 4.2.1 or higher, including the BlackBerry(R) Curve(TM) 8350i smartphone, the most advanced push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone operates on the Nextel National Network. It includes Nextel Direct Connect(R), the only national push-to-talk service to offer sub-second call setup to the world's largest push-to-talk community. It is also the first push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone to offer built-in Wi-Fi(R) support and Group Connect.

Fixed mobile convergence solutions, including BlackBerry MVS, are available through Sprint's newly formed Business Markets Group (BMG). Composed of more than 4,000 sales, support, marketing and operations personnel, BMG is solely dedicated to enterprise, general business and public sector customers. BMG delivers wireless, wireline and converged solutions for companies, drawing on the nation's most dependable 3G mobile broadband network,* 4G capabilities that are well ahead of Sprint's competition, the fastest national push-to-talk network, and a comprehensive solutions portfolio of devices and applications. Also Sprint's Converged Network Solutions team designs, deploys and maintains wireless networks and mobility solutions that deliver the productivity and efficiency of voice and data communications to virtually anywhere a business and its employees need them.

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 more than 49 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.