Sprint Nextel ’Powers Up’ Wireless Coverage, Capacity To Its Networks In Indianapolis

For Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) wireless customers in Indianapolis who already take advantage of the company’s powerful networks, recent local network enhancements should result in even better wireless service. In the greater Indianapolis area, Sprint added 34 wireless cell sites during 2006 to its Sprint National Network(SM) and Nextel National Network(SM).


“Sprint continues to make significant investments to increase coverage and capacity in its wireless networks in Indianapolis and throughout the country,” said Kevin Gleason, area vice president, Sprint. “Customer satisfaction and network quality are two of Sprint’s top priorities as we further strengthen our powerful networks where our customers live, work, play and travel.”

Last year, Sprint invested more than $30 million in its wireless networks in Indianapolis. The following is a detailed list of the local areas benefiting from these enhancements:

Sprint National Network

-Indianapolis in the areas of: Washington & I-70, Michigan & 79th, the merge of I-70 & I-65, I-70 & Arlington Ave., Southport & Shelbyville Roads, South Broad Ripple Area, W. 38th & 465, 465 & Westfield Blvd., Washington & Sherman, and the New Augusta area.
-Surrounding Indianapolis areas including: Beach Grove, Camby, Carmel, Crawfordsville, Cutler, Danville, Delphi, Fowler, Greenfield, Hartford City, Kirklin, Montpelier, Morgantown, Mooresville, Muncie, Paragon, Trafalgar, Otterbein and Winchester.

Nextel National Network

-Indianapolis in the areas of: I-65 & Cold Spring Rd. and Mann Rd. & I-465.
-Surrounding Indianapolis areas including: Atterbury, Bartlett, Lafayette – South of Purdue Campus, Long Acre, Madden Park, Mann Hill, Monroe Lake, Muncie - in the area of SR-322 and Wheeling Rd., Walnut Hill and Woodburn.

In 2006, Sprint added more than 3,400 cell sites across the country to strengthen performance in both of its wireless networks and this year expects to add approximately 4,000 sites.

Increased Network Investment in 2007
Sprint spent more than $7 billion in capital expenditures in 2006, most of which was invested to enhance its wireless and wireline networks nationwide. Across the country, thousands of markets – large and small – received the benefit of this major investment. This year, Sprint will invest more than $7 billion to further enhance its powerful networks and expand mobile broadband coverage.

Power Network Coverage Tool and Sprint Plan Advisor
To help current and prospective customers view coverage information, Sprint provides the Power Network Coverage Tool, which provides detailed coverage maps down to the street address level. By entering an address or ZIP code, customers can check the availability of wireless coverage, recently added cell sites and the network signal strength on the Sprint National Network, Nextel National Network or Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. The tool is available at www.sprint.com/coverage and at self-service touch-screen kiosks at hundreds of Sprint and Nextel retail stores. Once coverage is determined, customers can either change or purchase a new service plan using the new Sprint Plan Advisor. This tool, which helps customers make educated decisions about which wireless plan is right for them based on the criteria they provide, is available at www.sprint.com/planadvisor.

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and EV-DO Rev. A
Sprint offers the largest wireless broadband network of any carrier through the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, which reaches more than 206 million people across the country and covers more than 11,000 cities and 1,000 airports. In many major cities, Sprint has upgraded the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network with higher-speed EV-DO (Evolution – Data Optimized) Revision A technology. Sprint’s industry-leading EV-DO Rev. A coverage now reaches more than 193 million people in over 9,600 cities and covers 880 airports. With EV-DO Rev. A, users should experience significantly faster average data upload speeds of 350 to 500 kbps (compared with 50-70 kbps on current EV-DO networks). Average download speeds should increase to 600 kbps to 1.4 mbps (from 400-700 kbps). Sprint expects that the vast majority of its wireless network will be upgraded to faster EV-DO Rev. A technology by year-end.