Thousands of Fans, the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV Are No Match for Sprint’s Wireless Networks

Game Attendees Will Have a Chance to Demo the Dynamic Speed of Sprint’s 4G Network

MIAMI--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Any wireless provider can claim success, but only one can be the MVP. This is why Sprint (NYSE: S), the official wireless telecommunications service provider of the National Football League, has enhanced and rolled out its network playbook in preparation for the 2010 Pro Bowl on Jan. 31 and Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in South Florida.

“Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to visit South Florida and Sprint is pleased to offer our customers seamless wireless coverage during their Super Bowl and Pro Bowl activities”

Sprint has invested more than $2.3 million on telecommunication enhancements for game-day communications, in addition to more than $53 million in network improvements Sprint made during 2008 and 2009 in Florida’s Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to augment its wireless networks – the Sprint Nationwide Network and the Nextel National Network.

The network improvements help ensure wireless coverage, capacity and dependability for the thousands of fans expected to attend the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV.

“Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to visit South Florida and Sprint is pleased to offer our customers seamless wireless coverage during their Super Bowl and Pro Bowl activities,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president of Network for Sprint. “As the NFL’s official wireless service provider, making strategic preparations for the big day is a top priority and with the Pro Bowl returning to South Florida for the first time in 35 years, we want to ensure customers have the best possible wireless experience.”

Additionally, at Gate G of Sun Life Stadium in Miami, the Sprint 4G Mobile Marketing Vehicle will be exclusively available - for three hours before the start of the Pro Bowl (Jan. 31) and the Super Bowl (Feb. 7) - to give attendees hands-on demonstrations of Sprint 4G products and services.

Sprint is the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology. Sprint 4G is already available in 27 markets and will continue to expand to new cities, bringing wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than today’s 3G from any other national wireless carrier.

During Super Bowl XLI in 2007, which also took place in South Florida, Sprint’s wireless service performed well as call volume on the Sprint Nationwide Network and the Nextel National Network increased more than 275 percent and 325 percent, respectively.

For this year’s event, Sprint has prepared its networks to accommodate the expected increase in voice and data traffic, including:

• Deploying five Cell Sites on Wheels (COWs) near Sun Life Stadium and the Miami Beach area for additional network coverage and capacity.
• Adding 50 new cell sites between 2008 and 2009 in South Florida to enhance wireless coverage.
• Enhancing in-building coverage at several venues and hotels, including the Super Bowl XLIV Media Center at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, the Westin Beach Resort - Fort Lauderdale, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel and Four Points by Sheraton Miami Beach.
• Closely monitoring call and data volumes on its network on game day and on the days leading up to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.

"Sprint’s dependable network performance during the Super Bowl has been significantly important to NFL fans and the event’s success year after year,” said Dave Port, vice president of information technology for the NFL. "This year is no different, and we are pleased Sprint is helping to make the 2010 Pro Bowl, Super Bowl XLIV and many of the events throughout South Florida run smoothly.”

Sprint offers speed and reliability on a 3G network named “most reliable”* by PC World magazine, along with cutting-edge devices and game-changing price plans to fit everyone’s budget.

Current and prospective customers can view coverage maps using the Sprint Coverage Tool, which is available at www.sprint.com/coverage and at self-service, touch-screen kiosks at many Sprint retail stores.

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 48 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2009 and the first and only 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

* PC World's tests included thirteen major cities with more than twenty tests per city from all regions of the country during a two month period from March & April 2009. In all, 5443 individual tests from 283 testing locations were conducted for each provider's 3G service. Testing was one minute in duration, and network performance can be highly variable from neighborhood to neighborhood.