Sprint declares “Business Freedom” for companies of all sizes with the launch of new wireless plans that are long on value – but lack the long-term contract

Flexibility for today’s businesses – and today’s business climate

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), July 20, 2011 – Sprint today announced the launch of Business Freedom Plans – new wireless voice and data plans for businesses that come packed with value, pooling options and the best of Sprint’s portfolio of devices, but waive the long-term contract to get it all.

Sprint Business Freedom Plans, available starting July 24, are month-to-month, zero-term plans that deliver the features and flexibility that today’s businesses want. The plans enable businesses to pool minutes without the need for long-term contractual commitments. They can also pool Business Freedom and other Sprint plans on the same billing account. With Business Freedom, businesses can easily adjust their wireless usage as their needs change — consider tax accountants, utilities and manufacturers, whose need for wireless service spikes and drops based on seasonal demand. It also lets them pick and choose from a broad selection of Sprint’s business-grade handsets backed by Sprint’s industry-leading business-grade customer care.

“Business Freedom is a flexible set of rate plans that responds to the ever-changing needs of mobile businesses without forcing them into restrictive long-term contract terms,” said Berge Ayvazian, senior consultant, Heavy Reading. “The ability to pool minutes while maintaining broad device selection and business-grade customer care is a potentially disruptive offering that should get the business market to move.”

“Up to now, many businesses subscribed to consumer prepaid services as a way to avoid long-term contracts,” said Paget Alves, president-Sprint Business. “But to achieve prepaid’s contract terms, a business had to sacrifice a broader device selection and business-grade customer care. Business Freedom gives today’s businesses the best combination of the things they want most from a wireless provider: the right plan with the right terms – with the availability of business-grade devices and service included.

“Long-term contracts often held back businesses from upgrading their wireless capabilities,” Alves added. “Often, we’d see a business holding off on investing in mobile solutions for employees, because in these economic times it’s more difficult to commit to a long-term contract. Business Freedom removes the need to wait until the economy turns, allowing businesses to provide employees with the wireless services they need to grow their businesses today.”

Steve Hilton, principal analyst, Analysys Mason added, “Enterprises large and small increasingly need flexibility to meet current business needs. Wireless has, no doubt, become one of the top technology tools for businesses today – carriers who can provide enterprises with more flexibility with innovative wireless packages that provide contract term flexibility will find their rewards in the market.”

For more information on Business Freedom, call 800-777-4681 (800-Sprint-1), click www.sprint.com, or visit your nearest Sprint Store.

About Sprint Business

Business Freedom from Sprint is available through Sprint Business, which is composed of sales, support, marketing and operations personnel solely dedicated to enterprise, small- and medium-sized business and public sector customers. Sprint delivers wireless, wireline and converged solutions for companies, drawing on its 3G and 4G wireless capabilities, push-to-talk network, Global IP network and growing portfolio of M2M partners and solutions.

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 51 million customers at the end of 1Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first 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; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint