LG Viper 4G LTE with Eco-Friendly Features from Sprint Launches for Less than $100

Pairing innovative technology with the Sprint 4G LTE network and unlimited data plans, LG Viper 4G LTE helps manage work and personal time for people on the go, like today’s “Power Parents”; Pre-order begins Thursday, April 12, at sprint.com/viper

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an exclusive media event to tip off NBA Green Week presented by Sprint, Sprint’s CEO Dan Hesse (NYSE: S) today announced pricing and pre-order availability date for the highly anticipated LG Viper™ 4G LTE, the first 4G LTE device with eco-friendly features to be offered by Sprint.

“This smartphone is packed with the tools our customers need to stay connected. Best of all, customers can feel good about owning LG Viper because of its robust list of eco-friendly features.”

LG Viper will be available later this month in all Sprint sales channels, including www.sprint.com, 1-800-SPRINT1, Best Buy and RadioShack for $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement and $50 mail-in rebate via reward card¹ (excludes taxes and surcharges). New and existing customers can pre-order LG Viper beginning Thursday, April 12 at www.sprint.com/viper.

LG Viper takes advantage of Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, mobile hotspot capabilities and a 4GB card microSD™ slot that supports up to 32GB. It also features a 5MP rear-facing camera with flash and VGA front-facing camera allowing for a fun and easy face-to-face video chat experience.

Enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC), LG Viper allows users to access true value features such as Google Wallet, an app that allows payment using a mobile device at participating retailers, including Bloomingdales, Toys “R” Us, CVS, Gap and Macy’s. The sleek, ultra-thin smartphone also boasts a 4-inch touchscreen that is remarkably bright and clear, even in direct sunlight. It also has a Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass screen protector for extra display resistance while on the go.

“LG Viper pairs perfectly with our unlimited data plans to bring customers the benefit of new technology, including our upcoming 4G LTE capabilities at a great price,” said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “This smartphone is packed with the tools our customers need to stay connected. Best of all, customers can feel good about owning LG Viper because of its robust list of eco-friendly features.”

As a Sprint ID smartphone, LG Viper will give owners the ability to cut through the clutter of more than 450,000 additional apps in Google Play by selecting from a variety of mobile ID packs. Sprint ID packs include ringers, wallpapers and widgets. Also, consumers can download Box on the LG Viper and receive 50GB of free cloud storage and sharing directly from LG, an estimated value of $240 per year, so users don’t have to stress about storing all of their favorite music, files, photos and other memories. The 50GB of free storage is exclusive to LG devices until July 22.

“Today’s world is moving extremely fast and the lines between personal time and work continue to blur,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of marketing for LG Mobile. “LG understands consumers’ need for better tools that allow them to multitask without sacrificing what’s most important to them, especially when it comes to their families. LG Viper gives parents the tools they need to manage their everyday lives while breaking down the barriers that technology can often create between them and their children – all at a great value.”

LG Viper customers can enjoy an unlimited data experience with Sprint Everything plans with data. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, Anytime^SM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $79.99 per month for smartphones² – a savings of $40 per month vs. Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $10 per month savings vs. Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB Web.

Leading Wireless in Green

In addition to its technological prowess, LG Viper has many eco-friendly features, including:

• The device is ULE Platinum Certified, the highest level of environmental performance recognized by sustainable requirements established by UL Environment and Sprint.
• It is protected by a casing made of 50 percent recycled plastics.
• It is RoHS compliant, meaning it is free from many potentially hazardous materials such as PVC, phthalates, halogens and mercury.
• The packaging contains up to 87 percent of post-consumer paper, uses soy ink, made with a glueless construction and is 100 percent recyclable.
• The phone also includes a charger that exceeds the EC Code of Conduct on energy efficiency when it comes to no-load consumption. Unlike other chargers, LG Viper 4G LTE’s charger only consumes 0.03 watts of power when plugged into a wall socket without being connected to the phone.

Ranked No. 3 in Newsweek’s 2011 Green Rankings, Sprint is committed to being a corporate leader in sustainability. LG Viper marks the third device with eco-friendly features launched by Sprint and LG. Sprint and LG launched their first eco-friendly device in 2010 with LG Remarq™ and continued the legacy earlier this year with LG Rumor Reflex™.

Sprint recently announced Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio are expected to have 4G LTE and enhanced 3G service in mid-year 2012. Sprint 4G LTE should enable faster speeds for data applications, and the enhanced 3G service could offer better signal strength, faster data speeds, expanded coverage and better in-building performance. The launch of these large metropolitan areas demonstrates the continued commitment by Sprint to invest in its network through Network Vision. Whether a Sprint customer is using a smartphone to share a video, check the Web via a mobile hotspot, Sprint 4G LTE will make it easier. For the most up-to-date details on Sprint’s 4G LTE rollout, please visit www.sprint.com/4GLTE.

Bridging Technology and Fairy Tales

To complement the launch of LG Viper 4G LTE, LG is introducing the “Life’s Good Fairytales” app, a customizable storyboard that allows parents and children to bond over the creation and sharing of unique fairytales through their device. Families can become part of the fairytale by allowing them to take, upload and manipulate photos, names and sounds directly into the story, transforming the fairytales into the child’s own personal adventure.

Thanks to the fast speeds of the LG Viper 4G LTE technology and Sprint 4G LTE network, stories can be read instantly and content can be shared with friends and family via Facebook^®. The “Life’s Good Fairytales” app will be available Friday, April 27, in Google Play. It will be free for LG Viper owners and available for $0.99 for other Android phone users.

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 55 million customers at the end of 2011 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, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About LG Electronics USA

LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $49 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, home appliances, mobile phones, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG’s “Life’s Good” marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com or www.lg.com/us/mobile.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

* This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. The statements in this news release regarding network performance, coverage and capabilities, business and network efficiencies, migration of services new technologies, timing of deployment, and products and services, as well as other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The words “estimate,” “project,” “forecast,” intend,” “expect,” “should,” “believe,” “target,” 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, development and deployment of new technologies; efficiencies and cost savings of multimode technologies; customer and network usage; customer growth and retention; service, coverage and quality; availability of devices; the timing of various events and the economic environment. 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 in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011.

¹The American Express Prepaid Reward Card (“Card”) provided in connection with this Rebate offer is a prepaid Card that is usable at U.S. merchants that accept American Express Card. Some limitations apply. The Card is not redeemable for cash (except where required by law) and does not provide ATM access. Use of Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a reward and no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder to American Express in exchange for this Card. USE OF CARD IS SUBJECT TO THE CARDHOLDER AGREEMENT. SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, A $3.00 MONTHLY FEE WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST CARD BALANCE, STARTING SIX MONTHS AFTER CARD ISSUANCE, UNLESS FUNDS ARE EARLIER DEPLETED. For BALANCE, customer service and Cardholder Agreement, visit americanexpress.com/sprint or call 866-608-3756. Card issued by American Express Prepaid Card Management Corporation.

²Price includes $10 Premium Data Add-on charge

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