Floridians Can Do More With Wireless: Faster Sprint Mobile Broadband In Several Cities

Extended network coverage, faster data speeds and new devices let Florida customers check email, download large files and music and send video.

MAITLAND, Fla.- Whether in St. Petersburg, Gainesville or St. Augustine, Sprint (NYSE: S) customers in Florida can do more with wireless thanks to a faster mobile broadband network. With Sprint’s newest (EV-DO Revision A) technology, along with a wide variety of devices, customers can check and send emails with large file attachments, download music and access robust location-based solutions.

Sprint took a big step forward this month by upgrading its network in more than two dozen markets across the country, including several cities throughout Florida including Fort Myers, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Tampa. This more robust technology is already available in Central and Southeast Florida including, Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and the Treasure Coast, and Space Coasts. Sprint now reaches more than 193 million people in over 9,600 cities and covers 880 airports with its faster mobile broadband technology (EV-DO Rev. A) and is on track to upgrade the vast majority of its mobile broadband network to the faster technology by year-end.

“Customers in many cities throughout Florida can experience the nation’s largest mobile broadband network in more places with faster speeds than ever before, and we aren’t finished improving the customer experience,” said Bob Halcrow Sprint’s area vice president for Florida. “This year, Sprint is continuing investments to enhance its powerful networks and expand mobile broadband coverage across the nation. That’s on top of the more than $421 million that Sprint spent in Florida in 2006. Sprint is committed to letting our customers do more with wireless.”

On average, customers can experience significantly faster upload speeds of 350-500 Kbps (compared with 50-70 Kbps on current EV-DO networks) and download speeds of 600 Kbps-1.4 Mbps (from 400-700 Kbps.) on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. To compare these Rev. A speeds against the speed of their current connection, Internet users can visit www.sprint.com/speedtest.

In December 2006, Sprint’s upgraded mobile broadband network was awarded the coveted PC Magazine Editor’s Choice Award selected by a panel of PC Magazine editors, and leading industry experts.

The upgraded Sprint Mobile Broadband Network is now available in the following cities throughout Florida:

Fort Myers, Fla. – Coverage includes from Naples to North Port and most of Big Cyprus Swamp across I-75. Route 80 is covered with EV-DO Rev. A from West Palm Beach to North Fort Myers, and Route 27 is covered from Route 80 north to Lake Placid. Coverage also extends to Port Charlotte, Cape Coral, and other southwest Florida towns.

Jacksonville, Fla. – Coverage includes the First Coast, Daytona Beach, Ocala, and Gainesville, and the entire northeast coast of Florida has been upgraded to EV-DO Rev. A. Coverage extends down I-95 and A1A as far south as Edgewater and inland covering Route 301, Route 17 and the Jacksonville beltway – I-295. Coverage extends westward to the I-10 and I-75 junction, near Lake City.

Sarasota, Fla. – Coverage includes Venice, Bradenton, and Longboat Key. Coverage extends east to Arcadia and Zolfo Springs.

Tallahassee, Fla. - Coverage includes metropolitan area of Tallahassee including Live Oak, Madison, Monticello, Havana, Midway, Woodville, Quincy and Sopchoppy.

Tampa, Fla. - Coverage includes the Florida Gulf Coast from St. Petersburg to Homassasa, including Tampa, Clearwater, Lakeland, Dade City, Plant City and other nearby communities.

Additional areas coming on air with EV-DO Rev. A this month include:
Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Birmingham, Ala.; Columbus, Ohio; Corpus Christi, Texas; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Greensboro, N.C.; Hawaii*; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.; Little Rock, Ark.; Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; Oklahoma City/Tulsa, Okla.; Omaha, Neb.; Raleigh, N.C.; Rio Grande Valley, Texas; San Antonio, Texas and St. Louis, Mo.

Sprint Mobile Broadband (EV-DO Rev. A-capable) Devices
Mobile professionals can use their laptops in more places and send and receive large data files using Sprint’s newest EV-DO Rev. A-capable USB modem – the Sierra Wireless Aircard 595U, which is available in all sales channels including retail. The device is priced as low as $79.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement and $50 mail-in rebate.

Sprint offers a variety of other EV-DO Rev. A-capable devices including three PCMCIA cards (Novatel S720, Sierra AC595 and Pantech PX-500); an Express Card (Novatel EX720) and two USB modems (Novatel U720 and Sierra AC595U). Sprint also offers a variety of laptops, handheld computers and modules embedded with these more robust capabilities.

Sprint customers using any of the current Novatel devices can perform location-based searches that offer navigational support. The basic Sprint location and search usage is included as part of Sprint’s flexible data and unlimited data connection card plans.

Data Plans
In an effort to provide customers the best value in wireless broadband, customers signing a two-year Sprint subscriber agreement can receive unlimited data usage for $59.99 per month (no separate voice plan required and no additional discounts apply.) Other individual service plans for mobile broadband devices range from $39.99 per month for 40 MB to $79.99 per month for unlimited data usage with a one year subscriber agreement. Rates apply to all Sprint Mobile Broadband customers and do not change in areas that have been upgraded to EV-DO Rev. A.

More Information
For local market coverage maps and more information on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, such as service plans and devices, visit www.sprint.com/mobilebroadband.