Sprint Establishes Mobile Security Council to Raise Awareness, Offer Solutions

3LM, Cisco, IBM, Juniper Networks, Lookout, Motorola Mobility and Samsung join Sprint in Mobile Security Council

Mobile Security Council is open to participants from throughout the wireless industry

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 01, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) today announced that it is leading a newly established Mobile Security Council to bring together key players in the mobile ecosystem to address protection, safety and security needs important to consumers and businesses. Charter members of the council are Cisco, IBM, Juniper Networks, Lookout, Motorola Mobility along with its subsidiary 3LM, and Samsung.

In the United States, more than 73.3 million people own a smartphone¹. In addition, more than 80 percent of Sprint’s postpaid CDMA handheld device sales in the third quarter were smartphones. Industry-wide, consumers and businesses are taking full advantage of today’s sophisticated devices. Along with the growing adoption of smartphones and data come new security challenges – at the device, software, operating system and network level – and new opportunities to use technology to deliver protection.

“Sprint sees the need to comprehensively address mobile security, and we are bringing the industry together in our Mobile Security Council,” said Fared Adib, vice president-Product at Sprint. “Sprint and our partners are taking action to identify and get out ahead of potential threats and to raise awareness of security and protection solutions for wireless customers. We welcome new participants from throughout the wireless industry.”

The Mobile Security Council is a forum for open and constructive dialogue about the evolving mobile security industry. The council meets each quarter and is holding its second meeting today in Santa Clara, Calif., site of the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, which is Nov. 2-4. A mobile security panel session with representatives from IBM, Lookout, McAfee and Samsung will be held Nov. 2 during the conference.

Initial objectives of the Mobile Security Council:

• Assess the current mobile security landscape and define an ideal state of security across the industry.
• Influence baseline security standards for the industry (device, software and network).
• Increase the level of awareness of security issues and options for the end user.
• Encourage strong participation and buy-in from industry players.

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 53 million customers at the end of 3Q 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. 3 in its 2011 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.

¹According to eMarketer.