Sprint Announces Nationwide Availability of PCS Vision

Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint (NYSE:FON)(NYSE:PCS), the company that for years has delivered unmatched clarity with crystal-clear service, today brings clarity to a whole new level by introducing PCS Vision, a next generation wireless service that is headed to retail stores and Sprint business channels nationwide beginning next week.

Wireless customers want advanced wireless services that keep them connected to people, images and information wherever they work, learn, play and communicate. PCS Vision will offer those services nationwide, along with peak data speeds 10 times faster than available previously and improved applications, thanks to the strength of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network.

Initially, PCS Vision will include services that allow consumer and business customers to use their Vision-enabled PCS Devices to take and receive pictures, check personal and corporate e-mail, play games with full-color graphics and polyphonic sounds and browse the Internet wirelessly with speeds comparable to a home computer's dial-up connection. The shift to providing clarity you can see and hear has revolutionized virtually every aspect of wireless service from Sprint. Results include significant advances to network, products, content management, training and back-office systems to provide the introduction of applications, features and devices that no other wireless carrier in the nation can match.

"Our customers tell us they're ready for a wireless device that does more than make a phone call," said William T. Esrey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sprint. "PCS Vision brings together all the devices, applications and content that make it faster and easier than ever for Sprint customers to communicate, access information, entertain themselves, conduct transactions and take their desktops with them wherever they are across our enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network, which covers more people than any other next generation wireless network in the country and provides a single technology that allows services and features to work the same everywhere. PCS Vision opens up a whole new mobile window to the world with clarity you can see and hear."

PCS Vision Applications
PCS Vision applications bring together multiple types of media that allow Sprint wireless customers to do more than just make clear calls. Initial PCS Vision applications include:

• Pictures - Sprint will offer a miniature digital PCS Vision Camera to capture, view and instantly send images wirelessly using select Vision- capable PCS Phones from Sprint. The Pictures application from PCS Vision provides a fun, social way to instantly share experiences with family and friends from anywhere on the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. Sprint Pictures customers can also upload and store their pictures on the Sprint Pictures Web site designed, developed, deployed and managed by LightSurf.



• PCS Business Connection - Now companies have an affordable, network-based solution to provide their mobile workforce with secure, real-time wireless access to corporate data and applications such as e-mail, calendar, company directories and personal contacts via their Vision-enabled PCS Phones, handheld computers or laptops with PCS Business Connection Enterprise Edition. Individuals who want to increase productivity with real-time access to their Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes corporate e-mail on their PCS Vision Phone or wirelessly connected device can take advantage of PCS Business Connection Personal Edition. The software-based version can be set up in minutes, requires no hardware installation and provides an affordable way for customers to view, reply and delete their e-mail in real-time without having to synchronize when they get back to the office.



• Web - Customers can enjoy immediate access to people and interesting, useful information whenever and wherever they want on the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. PCS Vision provides an improved Web experience with downloads, icons and full-color graphic versions of popular Internet sites such as E! Online, Google, ESPN.com, weather.com from The Weather Channel and Amazon.com.



• Real-Time High-Speed Connectivity on Laptops and PDAs - The mobile workforce can realize the meaning of true mobility with high-speed access to information when and where they need it. Business customers can use the PCS Connection Card with a laptop to access the Internet and their corporate networks. To further enhance the customer experience, Sprint has fully integrated Bytemobile's compression technology into the enhanced Nationwide PCS Network. When using a PCS Connection Card with a laptop or PDA, customers will experience the benefits of compression for some applications, including Web browsing and accessing or downloading files from the Web. The compression enables data speeds two to five times faster than average user speeds on the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network, depending on the specific application.



• Messaging - Have a conversation without all the talking. PCS Vision makes wireless messaging services from Sprint an extension of the desktop experience with fully functioning Web-based PCS Mail, PCS Short Mail, Wireless Chat by Jumbuck and Messaging Fun games by Scan Mobile.



• Ringers - Sprint was the first to offer polyphonic ringtones and now, with Vision-enabled PCS Phones from Sprint, users can express even more personality with hundreds of unique downloadable ringers, including the latest music releases, showtunes and sound effects that can be assigned to specific numbers in the address book. A sample of available ringers includes Disney's "Mickey Mouse March," "Fallin,'" "Bohemian Rhapsody," the theme to Charlie's Angels and snoring. Some new ringers are synchronized with animation for an enhanced experience. All Ringers can be downloaded wirelessly right from a Vision-enabled PCS Phone.



• Games - Have fun in your spare time by playing exciting full-color action, adventure, casino, puzzle and sports games that can be wirelessly downloaded right to your phone. PCS Vision enables Sprint and its development partners, including Sega Mobile, THQ, Midway and Cybiko, to move the wireless game experience from the text-based games of today to graphically rich, full-color brand name games on Vision-enabled PCS Phones using the Java 2 platform, Micro Edition (J2ME).



• Screen Savers - PCS Vision allows customers to personalize their wireless service by wirelessly downloading screen savers right from their phone, many featuring synchronized animation. Screen savers can be assigned to specific numbers in your device's address book, making it easy to see who is calling. Available screen savers include Disney characters, Men in Black II images, college logos, fun sayings, patriotic symbols and animated images.



• Digital Imaging for Business - Companies with photo-intensive documentation and visual communications needs can provide employees with a faster, more seamless and cost effective way to capture, transmit, manage and store images. Sprint will work with ActivePhoto to provide imaging solutions tailored for enterprise customers using a Ricoh RDC-i700 camera configured for the appropriate application and a PCS Connection Card. This will be particularly valuable to industries including media, insurance, real estate, construction and architecture. The service is expected to be available with PCS Vision in September.

Sprint plans to continue enriching the customer experience throughout the remainder of this year and into 2003 with an ever-evolving set of applications, content and new capabilities such as streaming audio and video, and even faster data speeds.

Following the same principle of clarity that Sprint brought to nationwide voice calling, each application will be represented with an icon that conveys the easy-to-learn, easy-to-use concept of PCS Vision. All customer touchpoints -- packaging, advertising, collateral, http://www.sprintpcs.com/ -- will feature the PCS Vision icons allowing customers to know at a glance which application is represented and how it can enable them to take more of their personal technology and business tools with them wherever they want to be.

PCS Vision Phones & Devices
Over the next several weeks, Sprint plans to roll out PCS Vision with a broad portfolio of Vision-enabled devices that incorporate voice and data functionality, expanded memory, high-resolution and larger color screens -- ideal for PCS Vision applications that allow greater mobility, convenience and productivity. In order to take advantage of the richer content of PCS Vision, customers will need to purchase one of the advanced yet affordable Vision-enabled PCS Devices from Sprint:

• PCS Phone by Sanyo 4900 - Complete with a colorful 1.7-inch display, the SCP 4900 by Sanyo offers a high-quality speaker phone for hands-free operation on the go with high luminescent keypad backlighting. Suggested retail price - $179.99.



• PCS Phone by Handspring Treo 300 - This compact device integrates a color Palm OS(R) organizer -- featuring a built-in, backlit QWERTY keyboard -- with a PCS Phone for a versatile productivity tool designed for people who need to stay connected, organized and in touch. With the always-available capabilities of PCS Vision, the Treo 300 by Handspring allows users to access e-mail, search and browse information on the Internet, and do text messaging all at the touch of a button. The product supports thousands of Palm OS applications for business and entertainment. Suggested retail price - $499.99.



• PCS Phone by Samsung A500 - Using this phone, wireless customers can combine speed, color and style with the clarity of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. Offering the brightest and most brilliant color screen to date, the A500 by Samsung is ideal for viewing pictures of special moments taken with the PCS Vision Camera. Suggested retail price: $299.99.



• PCS Phone by LG MODEL 5350 - Fully loaded with color and the ultimate in sound options, the 5350 by LG offers advanced multi-tone games, ringers and musical keypad options allowing for unsurpassed sound. The 5350 by LG is available for a suggested retail price of $229.99.



• PCS Vision Camera - Sold exclusively through Sprint for under $100, the PCS Vision Camera from InfoHand offers a point-and-click experience to easily capture, share and manage full-color pictures on the N400 and A500 phones by Samsung.



• PCS Connection Card by Novatel Wireless (Merlin C201) - Designed to provide mobile professionals with high-speed seamless wireless access to the Web, e-mail and corporate applications, the PCS Connection Card by Novatel Wireless allows customers to send and receive data at speeds comparable to landline dial-up connections, with average speeds of 50 to 70 kilobits per second and peak speeds of up to 144 kilobits per second. The lightweight card has a built-in antenna and is compatible with laptops and handhelds that use Windows 98/2000/ME/XP and Pocket PC 2000 and 2002 devices equipped with a Type II PC Card slot. Suggested retail price: $249.99.



• PCS Connection Card by Sierra Wireless (AirCard 550) - Mobile users can work like they never left the office. The PCS Connection Card by Sierra Wireless allows high-speed, always-available access to the Web, e-mail, and other personal or corporate information, in addition to sending and receiving voice calls while using an earbud. The single band design (1900 MHz) offers maximum coverage and access to the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network -- ensuring customers have a fast, convenient way to connect to information while on the road and away from the office. Suggested price: $349.99.

In the following weeks, immediate additions to the line up of Vision-enabled PCS Devices are expected to include:

• PCS Phone by Samsung N400 - An advanced version of the popular flip-form factor from Samsung lets customers easily connect in color and take pictures using the PCS Vision Camera. Suggested retail price: $199.99.



• PCS Phone by Hitachi P300 - The first Hitachi model offered in the United States, P300 by Hitachi offers a full-color screen and ultimate personalization options. Suggested retail price: $299.99.



• PCS Phone by Toshiba 2032 - The first integrated Pocket PC phone from Sprint, the 2032 by Toshiba offers a large PCS Full Color display, 206MHz Intel StrongARM Processor with 32 MB RAM and an array of software, allowing customers to be as productive with their PCS Phone as they are at their desktop. Suggested retail price: $799.99.



• PCS Connection Card by Yiso (CF 2031) - A PCS Connection Card that allows mobile employees to access their company network, send and receive e-mail, access the Web wirelessly and make voice calls when inserted in a computing device using a hands-free earbud. Suggested retail price: $229.99.

While existing Internet-ready PCS Phones from Sprint will not have PCS Vision capabilities, they will continue to work on the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network because of its forward compatibility feature, allowing customers to continue making clear calls and access the PCS Wireless Web as they do today from Sprint nationwide.

Pricing
"Through competitively priced customer offerings, we believe that Sprint will drive the pricing standard and accelerate the adoption of convenient and relevant mobile data services made possible by PCS Vision, just as we did with nationwide long distance and other industry-first offerings," said Esrey.

Once customers determine how they plan to use PCS Vision in their lives, they have greater billing flexibility through new business and consumer PCS Free and Clear Plans with Vision, both of which provide separate allotments for crystal clear voice calls and data applications: minutes for voice calls, megabytes for data usage. For data applications, customers will be charged for data sent or received over the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network -- meaning they can have the benefits of PCS Vision and still have all of their service plan minutes to make amazingly clear calls. Billing for PCS voice plans will remain unchanged and customers will continue to select a calling plan with a pre-determined number of minutes.

PCS Free & Clear with Vision - Initially ranging in price from $44.99 to $119.99, PCS Free & Clear with Vision plans will include megabytes for data usage along with varying amounts of voice minutes, depending on the individual plan. For a limited time, Sprint will offer special introductory rate plans that provide more Anytime Minutes than standard Free & Clear plans; allow customers to share minutes with another PCS phone for no additional charge and each phone will have two megabytes of data to use. An example of the introductory PCS Free & Clear with Vision plans include the $89.99 per month plan that features 2,000 Anytime Minutes that can be used by an individual or shared between two people. Additional phones can share the minutes for only $20 per phone and each phone on the plan will receive two megabytes of data. The special introductory plans require a one- or two-year PCS Advantage Agreement and will be available until October 31, 2002.

Here's one example of what an avid messaging user can do with two megabytes: send 100 e-mails and 150 Instant Messages and check out 100 Web pages as well as a few Games, Ringers, Screen Savers and Pictures. Heavy Web users, for instance, can expect to use two megabytes to browse 300 Web pages, send 20 e-mails and Instant Messages and download a few ringers, screen savers and games.

PCS Vision for Laptops and PDAs - For a limited time, business customers may take advantage of introductory pricing at four levels: $39.99 per month for 20 megabytes; $59.99 per month for 40 megabytes; $79.99 per month for 70 megabytes and $119.99 per month for 120 megabytes, all with a one-year PCS Advantage Agreement. Business customers can also select an introductory offer of unlimited data usage for $49.99 per month for the first three months and $99.99 thereafter with a one-year PCS Advantage Agreement.

Realizing PCS Vision is more than just new content, devices or network capability, Sprint has capitalized on the advantage of its single technology platform to revamp back-office infrastructure, most notably in the way Sprint sells to customers. On the retail side, Sprint has fundamentally changed the design and delivery of its sales process and training as well as migrated to sophisticated and innovative in-store merchandising. Sprint is extending this same targeted retail approach by elevating the retail experience at select third-party retailers and providing these partners with a high level of training and differentiation opportunities for PCS Vision products and services.

This same single technology platform has also provided Sprint with clear advantages in the industry. Building its network from the ground up with advanced wireless data services in mind, Sprint selected CDMA technology to allow an efficient and cost-effective evolutionary path to CDMA2000, maximizing spectrum and enabling Sprint to achieve up to double its voice capacity. Additionally, this single technology will support data speeds up to 144 kilobits per second, with average speeds between 50 and 70 kilobits per second. Finally, the single technology of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network allows consistency so services and features work the same, everywhere on the enhanced network.

From a business customer standpoint, Sprint has realigned its sales account team structure and internal processes to focus more on creating compelling reasons for enterprise customers to centralize and standardize the management of their wireless purchases. Sprint plans to accelerate the sales of PCS Vision wireless data solutions to enterprise customers of all sizes by adding five new IT and telecom industry leaders to its PCS Business Solutions Program including Accenture, HP, IBM (Personal Computing Division), Ingram Micro and PwC Consulting, a business of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

For more information on products and services, please visit http://www.sprint.com/mr.

Web site: http://www.sprint.com/mr
http://www.sprintpcs.com/

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