Sprint 4G Mobilizing Federal Agencies Now

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whether it involves mission-critical security operations, time-sensitive disaster response, life-enhancing health services or more feature-rich and cost-efficient public services, federal government agencies are taking turbo-charged 4G technology from Sprint (S:NYSE) and putting it to work in productive and innovative ways for U.S. citizens.

“Sprint’s 4G leadership has enabled federal agencies to deploy 4G’s ultra-fast capability on an accelerated schedule. As a result, federal agencies and their clients are realizing immediate benefits in supporting high-value applications”

Dozens of federal agencies have already certified Sprint 4G devices for use on the Sprint network, with deployments completed or underway to support an impressive array of applications across the United States. By combining Sprint 4G with the resources and expertise of its extensive partner ecosystem, Sprint tailors 4G solutions to the specialized requirements of individual agencies.

Two key applications include:

Situational Awareness: Federal investigators, law enforcement and defense professionals rely on Sprint 4G mobile broadband for blazing fast speeds that wirelessly enable mobile command center environments. Sprint 4G supports a variety of applications that arm them with critical information to better communicate situational information. These applications include mobile high-definition video surveillance, location-based solutions, laptop connectivity for individual agents, video streaming or connections to/from handheld devices and the transmission of large images and video from target areas.

Healthcare: Healthcare administrators in federally-managed facilities are turning to Sprint 4G to provide expanded mobility for caregivers. For example, medical staff can view high-resolution medical images on the HD screen of HTC EVO^TM 4G or view patient records and lab reports on 4G-connected wireless tablet PCs while gaining increased mobility so they can spend more time with patients.

In these and many other instances, Sprint 4G makes it possible for agencies to enhance their responsiveness to public needs by harnessing the power of emerging communications technology – all while simultaneously containing government spending by working within tighter budgets. Sprint makes it feasible to meet these crucial requirements by delivering turnkey applications and support, in combination with 4G download speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G.¹ Sprint was the first national wireless carrier to launch wireless 4G, and remains the only national carrier offering the mobile broadband service today.

“Sprint’s 4G leadership has enabled federal agencies to deploy 4G’s ultra-fast capability on an accelerated schedule. As a result, federal agencies and their clients are realizing immediate benefits in supporting high-value applications,” said Bill White, vice president of Federal Programs for Sprint. “This ability to offer dynamic 4G well ahead of the industry curve builds on Sprint’s two decades of experience in providing innovative, dependable services to federal agencies.”

Sprint’s 4G network has been serving customers since 2008 and is available today to customers in 48 markets in cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle. Sprint’s aggressive expansion continues into more major cities and customers in parts of Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. are already enjoying 4G speeds in some areas of these cities in advance of those cities officially launching this year.

In addition to situational awareness and healthcare, federal agencies have deployed or plan to use Sprint 4G across a broad range of other high-value services including:

Cloud Computing Enablement: With download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G¹, Sprint’s 4G solutions are among the best mobile solutions for cloud-based services, providing optimal user experience and application performance.

Disaster Relief: Sprint 4G supports emergency communications for federal disaster-relief operations in response to hurricanes, fires and earthquakes, as well as other threats to public safety. 4G is part of a support infrastructure that includes the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT), which is at the ready on a continuous basis with dedicated and experienced personnel and a fleet of voice and data infrastructure.

Transportation: Sprint 4G provides a multitude of opportunities for federal administrators to enhance their management of transportation systems. For instance, many commuters on public rail now enjoy in-transit high-speed Internet services powered by Sprint 4G.

Citizen Services: Federal agencies are currently exploring the potential use of Sprint 4G connectivity to supplement a variety of government services locations with information kiosks. By strategically locating the kiosks closer to where users live and work, agencies could deliver a variety of services faster and more conveniently while reducing the number of miles their customers need to drive.

Facility Management: Sprint 4G gives federal agencies the opportunity to manage field offices and other facilities more efficiently by replacing traditional T-1, basic DSL or cable office connectivity with high-bandwidth wireless connections. Among other applications, Sprint 4G can be used to monitor federal properties for public safety and security, including campus environments, sensitive installations and areas visited by the public.

Sprint supports many of these applications with its ability to implement improved in-building, campus or military installation coverage through the company’s dedicated Custom Network Solutions team. This is another important factor in using Sprint 4G to drive lower costs and improved patient care through mobile enabling.

Sprint offers an extensive portfolio of 4G-enabled devices and routers to support the varied and rigorous requirements of federal agencies. These include the HTC EVO 4G (the first 4G-capable handset in the U.S. and supporting up to eight simultaneous Wi-Fi connections), the newly launched Samsung Epic™ 4G (the second 4G-capable handset supporting up to five simultaneous Wi-Fi connections) and the Overdrive™ 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot from Sierra Wireless (a mobile hotspot supporting up to five simultaneous Wi-Fi connections). These products are part of a large selection of 4G-capable modems, mobile hotspots and routers which enable the productivity-enhancing and application-expanding 4G advantages of rapid mobile downloads of large files, high-quality streaming video, online presentations and high-speed Web browsing.

Sprint’s Federal Programs team provides communications services to more than 160 government entities and 150 military bases worldwide. Building on more than 20 years of experience in providing communications to federal agencies, Sprint is committed to offering secure, cost-effective and innovative services to meet the mission needs of agencies for a seamless and interoperable environment.

Sprint 4G services are available to federal agencies today through Sprint’s General Services Administration (GSA) Networx Enterprise contract and its Federal Supply Schedule 70 contract. Since receiving the Networx Enterprise contract in 2007, Sprint has helped more than a half-dozen agencies make the transition to services under Networx Enterprise. This multiyear, $20 billion award strengthens Sprint’s leadership position in offering a broad portfolio of innovative telecommunications services that can be customized to the mobility, IP and convergence needs of federal, civilian and defense agencies. For additional information on products and other service offerings to federal agencies by Sprint visit www.sprint.com/federal.

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 served more than 48.1 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

¹ Up to 10x faster” based on download speed comparison of 3G’s 600 kbps vs. 4G’s 6 Mbps. Industry published 3G avg. speeds (600 kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary. Sprint 4G currently available in over 45 markets and counting, and on select devices; see www.sprint.com/4G for details.