Sprint, Nextel users to pay less
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Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. customers are likely to see lower prices and better coverage as a result of the companies&#39; planned $35 billion merger.
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NEW YORK/WASHINGTON  - Sprint Corp. said Wednesday  it would buy mobile telephone company Nextel Communications  Inc. for about $36 billion, creating a U.S. wireless carrier  with nearly 40 million subscribers.
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Customers of Sprint and SBC Communications will be able to use both companies&#39; wireless Internet connections with less hassle under a reciprocal deal announced Friday.
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The proposed merger of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. could face a rocky start as the companies work to run and eventually merge two wireless technologies without breaking the bank or losing customers.
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(InfoWorld) - Underdog mobile operator Sprint Nextel quietly rolled out an emerging technology on Monday to give customers a strong cellular signal and flat-rate calling at home. In parts of Denver and Indianapolis, Sprint started selling aÂ femtocell, a small cellular base station that provides service specifically to a customer's home. The Sprint Airave, made by Samsung Electronics, costs $49.99 and is designed for people to install in their own homes by plugging it into a broadband Internet connection. Then they can pay a flat monthly rate -- $15 for an individual and $30 for a family -- for unlimited local and nationwide long-distance calls while at home. The Airave works with any Sprint handset, and when the subscriber leaves home, a call will automatically shift over to the outside cellular network. Femtocells are designed to solve the problem of weak cellular signals in homes, which is common in the U.S. They are an alternative to Wi-Fi phones, which are available only in a limited selection, though they work with wireless LAN gear that's already widely used in homes. Sprint is at least the first major U.S. carrier to offer femtocells, which are expected to enter the market in high volume in 2009. The carrier plans to start selling the Airave all across Denver and Indianapolis, as well as in Nashville, Tennessee, by year's end. It will be offered nationwide in 2008, Sprint said in a press release. The move is the latest use of new technology by Sprint, a smaller rival to Verizon Wireless and AT&T's wireless division, in a bid to compete. The Overland Park, Kansas, carrier is also set toÂ roll out WiMax wireless broadbandÂ on a limited basis later this year and to cities across the country next year. Femtocells take their name from "femto," which denotes a small order of size in physics. The idea has been around a long time but until recently was held up by size and cost concerns. Now several carriers in various countries are considering deploying them, according to vendors and analysts. While helping subscribers get good service, the devices save carriers from deploying more expensive base stations on towers just to keep up with the growing number of people trying to use 3G (third-generation) mobile data services. One question yet to be answered about femtocells is whether they will interfere with the existing outdoor cellular network. That can only be answered through real-world deployments, analysts say. Sprint's offer comes sooner and at a lower price than many observers expected. The price is especially notable because Sprint isn't forcing buyers into long-term contracts. Sprint must be subsidizing the cost, said In-Stat analyst Allen Nogee. "I guarantee it costs more than $50," Nogee said. However, the carrier will make back some of its cost through the special flat service charge, he said, because it wouldn't be making any money off the calls anyway -- many calls at home are made during nights and weekends when they are free, he added. Maybe most importantly, the Airave could help Sprint cultivate loyal customers and get consumers to give up their landlines -- along with their relationships with Verizon and AT&T, he said. Â
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Sprint will remove three fees from its customer bills but also adds two new charges.
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The merger of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications, unveiled last week in a deal valued at more than $35 billion, is likely to spur deployment of broadband wireless services as three giant
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By DAVID TWIDDY    KANSAS CITY, Mo.  -- Sprint Corp...
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WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - Sprint Corp. said Friday it will cut up to 700 jobs, write down the value of its traditional phone network and spend less money marketing standalone long-distance service.
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Telecommunications company Sprint Corp. on Friday said it will record an unspecified third-quarter impairment charge that will reduce the value of its long-distance network assets, and will realign its sales efforts in a plan that will cut up to 700 jobs in its Sprint Business Solutions division.
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Sprint Nextel Corp.  said on  Tuesday it would let customers change rate plans over the first  six months of a contract without having to sign a new one, as  the No. 3 U.S. wireless service provider looks to attract new  customers and keep existing ones.
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Customers of Sprint Corp. and SBC Communications Inc. will be able to use both companies&#39; wireless Internet connections with less hassle under a reciprocal deal announced Friday.
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NEW YORK - Just two months after the announcement that Cingular Wireless will acquire AT&amp;T Wireless, Sprint has announced that it plans to buy Nextel Communications for $35 billion.
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Some cell phone companies charge  their users $100 to $200 to end a contract no matter what the  reason and disguise their own charges as taxes on bills,  witnesses told a congressional panel on Wednesday.
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Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation's third-largest wireless provider, said Thursday it will have to write off a significant chunk of the remaining value of its 2005 purchase of Nextel Communications Inc. and several affiliates, reflecting the continued struggles of its wireless operations.
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Sprint Corp and Nextel Communications have tentatively agreed on key terms in a $US35 billion ($47billion) merger deal that would create a giant mobile phone carrier with nearly 39 million subscribers.
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Targeting a top gripe by cell phone users and breaking ranks again with its industry, Verizon Wireless plans to prorate the fee it charges subscribers who break a contract so they only pay an amount proportional to the time left on their agreements.