Sprint Nextel Teams With QUALCOMM and Lucent Technologies to Extend Industry-Leading Push-To-Talk Services with QUALCOMM’S QChat Solution

- Technology to Enable High Performance Push-to-Talk (Walkie-Talkie) Calls On AND Between All Sprint Networks, Beginning in 2008
-Will Use Sprint’s Industry-Leading CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A Mobile Broadband Power Vision Network

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — 10/16/2006 - Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) today announced an agreement to use QUALCOMM’s QChat® solution to provide high performance push-to-talk services to its customers. Sprint, which currently offers the industry-leading Nextel Walkie-Talkie push-to-talk service to its customers on the Nextel National Network, expects to utilize QChat technology to extend high performance push-to-talk services to customers on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network, as well as provide interoperable push-to-talk services between users on both networks.

Sprint also announced that it has selected Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) to develop software and infrastructure necessary to enable the new services to work throughout Sprint’s CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A network. In addition, Lucent Services, one of the largest network integrators, is providing program management, end-to-end multi-vendor network integration, testing, operational readiness and deployment services to implement QChat.

Developed by QUALCOMM, QChat is a next-generation push-to-talk solution designed to deliver advanced walkie-talkie services optimized for CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision A wireless networks, as well as interoperability with the Nextel National Network. Featuring a call set-up latency of less than one second between handsets, QChat is expected to offer exceptional call set-up performance and bandwidth savings in comparison to other walkie-talkie approaches.

“Sprint is committed to providing innovative tools that empower our customers to do what they want, when they want,” said Iyad Tarazi, vice president of network development for Sprint. “The work we are doing with QUALCOMM and Lucent represents a milestone in our strategy of offering all our customers a high performance push-to-talk service that they can set-up and connect in under a second no matter which of our networks they are on.”

Sprint expects to begin offering high performance push-to-talk services using QChat in early 2008. Sprint, Lucent and QUALCOMM recently completed successful trials using pre-production handsets, commercial-grade lab systems and EV-DO Revision A field sites.

“This announcement is a result of a series of development and related licensing agreements between QUALCOMM and Sprint and we are extremely pleased to provide their customers with the QChat solution, which offers rapid connectivity with low latency and delivers a highly efficient solution for operators,” said Michael Wallace, vice president and general manager of QChat for QUALCOMM Internet Services. “Not only is QChat optimized for EV-DO Rev. A networks, but it also supports other quick connect mobile data applications.”

Commercial availability of the high performance push-to-talk service will follow Sprint’s upgrade of its Power Vision Network to the faster EV-DO Revision A technology being rolled out later this year. In addition to enabling high-performance push-to-talk services, the upgraded mobile broadband network will enable richer applications and services such as high-speed video telephony, music on demand, video messaging and large file uploads. The Power Vision NetworkSM is the nation’s largest mobile broadband network and is expected to be completely upgraded by 3Q 2007.

“As the world’s leading CDMA2000 network infrastructure supplier, we’re excited to team up with Sprint and QUALCOMM to deliver push-to-talk services to Sprint customers nationwide,” said Chuck Naylor, vice president of sales for Lucent. “Working together, we’ve been able to optimize our CDMA2000 network infrastructure to support QUALCOMM’s QChat solution and further the development of Sprint’s high-performance mobile broadband network.”

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of communications services bringing mobility to consumer, business and government customers. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering industry leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

About QUALCOMM
QUALCOMM Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., QUALCOMM is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2006 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.

About Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent’s customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide. For more information on Lucent Technologies, which has headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, visit www.lucent.com.

QUALCOMM and QChat are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated. CDMA2000 is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA USA). All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. The statements in this news release regarding the business outlook, expected performance, as well as other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The words “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “believe,” “target,” “providing guidance” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are estimates and projections reflecting management’s judgment based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. With respect to these forward-looking statements, management has made assumptions regarding, among other things, customer and network usage, customer growth and retention, pricing, operating costs, the timing of various events and the economic environment.

Future performance cannot be ensured. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include:

* the uncertainties related to the benefits of the Sprint-Nextel merger, including anticipated synergies and cost savings and the timing thereof;
* the uncertainties related to and the impact of the contemplated spin-off of Sprint Nextel’s local communications operations;
* the effects of vigorous competition and the overall demand for Sprint Nextel’s service offerings in the markets in which Sprint Nextel operates and the impact of new, emerging and competing services technologies on its business;
* the costs and business risks associated with providing new services and entering new markets;
* the impact of any adverse change in the ratings afforded Sprint Nextel’s debt securities by ratings agencies;
* the ability of Sprint Nextel’s Wireless segment to continue to grow and improve profitability;
* the ability of Sprint Nextel’s Local and Long Distance segments to achieve expected revenues;
* the effects of mergers and consolidations in the communications industry and unexpected announcements or developments from others in the telecommunications industry;
* the uncertainties related to Sprint Nextel’s investments in networks, systems, and other businesses;
* the uncertainties related to the implementation of Sprint Nextel’s business strategies,
* unexpected results of litigation pending or filed against Sprint Nextel;
* a no significant adverse change in Motorola, Inc.’s ability or willingness to provide handsets and related equipment and software applications or to develop new technologies or features for Sprint Nextel’s iDEN network;
* the network performance, including any performance issues resulting from the reconfiguration of the 800 Megahertz band of the iDEN network that is contemplated by the Federal Communications Commission’s Report and Order, released in August 2004 and supplemented thereafter;
* the costs of compliance with regulatory mandates, particularly requirements related to the Federal Communications Commission’s Report and Order and deployment of enhanced 911 services on the iDEN network;
* equipment failure, natural disasters, terrorist acts, or other breaches of network or information technology security;
* inability of third parties to perform to Sprint Nextel’s requirements under agreements related to Sprint Nextel’s business operations;
* one or more of the markets in which Sprint Nextel competes being impacted by changes in political or other factors such as monetary policy, legal and regulatory changes or other external factors over which Sprint Nextel has no control; and
* other risks referenced from time to time in Sprint Nextel’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, as amended, and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the subsequent quarterly periods.

Sprint Nextel believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. Sprint Nextel is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release. Sprint Nextel provides a detailed discussion of risk factors in periodic SEC filings, including its 2004 Form 10-K as amended, and will provide a similar discussion in its 2005 Form 10-K that is expected to be filed in March 2006. You are encouraged to review these filings.

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Scott Sloat

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Sprint Nextel

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