Michael Jackson Fans Flock to Sprint Music Store – and America’s Most Dependable 3G Network – for Quick, Vast and Handy Song Downloads

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While music stores and online sites were overloaded with fans seeking Michael Jackson songs after his death last week, the Sprint Music Store – fueled by Sprint’s (NYSE:S) powerful, nationwide 3G network – seamlessly offered customers a quick and easy route to download the late singer’s most popular hits.

Friday saw the Sprint Music Store post its biggest single day ever, with 25 percent of the tracks sold belonging to Jackson. Sprint Music Store sales have increased 21 percent on average since news of Jackson’s death Thursday. Through it all, Sprint’s 3G network – America’s most dependable¹ – stood firm and strong.

The week before his death, Jackson ranked 80^th in Sprint Music Store sales. Since he died, he’s catapulted to No. 1. The most popular downloaded tracks are “Billie Jean” and “Thriller,” both from the 1982 blockbuster album “Thriller.” In addition, Jackson ringtones constituted 28 percent of total sales on Friday. Top three ringtones are “Thriller,” “P.Y.T.” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”

If customers aren’t sure which Jackson songs they want, then they can turn to Sprint Radio, which is offering a Michael Jackson bonus stream through the end of July. The “Who’s Bad” radio stream is available for any customer with a basic data plan and access to Sprint TV. The stream includes not only Jackson’s vast collection of songs, but also tracks from his early years with the Jackson 5. It also includes songs from performers inspired by his legacy, including sister Janet Jackson and Fall Out Boy featuring John Mayer doing a cover of “Beat It.”

Thanks to Sprint’s steady and strong Now Network, fans of the King of Pop can expect an easy, clear and fast listening experience as they honor his memory through music. Since 2006, Sprint has invested almost $17 billion in capital to continue improving and expanding network performance. Today, according to customers and third-party reports, Sprint’s networks have never been better.

The Sprint 3G Network is faster in more places than AT&T’s 3G network,² and Sprint has more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, based on square miles. No one has a larger voice calling area than Sprint. The Nationwide Sprint Network (inclusive of roaming) reaches more than 304 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a Sprint national calling plan that includes roaming.

Sprint Music Store and Sprint Radio are available through affordable Everything Data plans, starting at just $69.99 per month. With a Simply Everything plan^SM, customers can get unlimited data, talk and messaging for $99.99, which offers individual customers a savings of $1,200 over the course of two years vs. a comparable AT&T iPhone plan.³

About Sprint Music Store

In October 2005, Sprint Music Store became the first service in the United States to allow customers to browse, download and listen to full-length songs on their mobile phones. The songs are transferred over the air quickly and reliably via Sprint’s nationwide 3G network. The Sprint Music Store offers a growing selection of more than 3 million songs from virtually every genre. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/music.

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 49 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

¹“Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from January 2008 to February 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.
²Speed claim based on total network size, sq. miles, multiplied by network upload/download speed capability. User’s speed experience may vary.
³ Savings based on publicly available information on base service plan and options rate totaling $149.99/month for AT&T as of publication date, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees.