OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan 12, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — –New Nextel Direct Connect ads demonstrate Sprint’s firm commitment to industry-leading push-to-talk.

Sprint (NYSE:S) is ringing in the new year with enhancements to its industry-leading Nextel Direct Connect(R) portfolio, including push-to-send location capability and new advertising. With today’s launch of NextMail(R) Locator, available only from Sprint, customers with select Nextel Direct Connect phones now can push-to-send their location, date, time and voice observations to a dispatcher, call center or another field worker - simply by pushing the Nextel Direct Connect button and leaving a message.

NextMail Locator, powered by Pacific DataVision, allows customers with compatible phones to add the GPS coordinates, physical street address and an interactive map of their current position to NextMail voice messages, which can be sent to any email address.

To support the ongoing reinvigoration of Nextel Direct Connect, Sprint is introducing a new ad campaign, including television, radio, print and online ads that demonstrate Sprint’s leadership in push-to-talk services and devices.

“Today’s launch of NextMail Locator and our new ads is the most recent example of our continuing commitment to our Nextel Direct Connect customers,” said Danny Bowman, president of Nextel Direct Connect for Sprint. “NextMail is a powerful service in the Nextel Direct Connect portfolio that users rely on to communicate information quickly, and adding the ability to push-to-send GPS location information makes it even more compelling. NextMail Locator will allow mobile workers in industries such as transportation, utilities, field service and public safety to increase productivity by communicating their voice message along with their location to their home office or another worker without waiting for a call to be answered.”

NextMail Locator enables push-to-send location
NextMail Locator, only available with Nextel Direct Connect, gives mobile teams access to location-based information to enhance their NextMail messaging, including the ability to add the GPS coordinates, location timestamp, physical street address and an interactive map of their position to their NextMail messages. The interactive map allows recipients to see an aerial view of the sender’s location, a hybrid view showing the names of roads and streets surrounding the sender, and a bird’s eye view that provides a direct “snapshot” of the physical location of the sender. NextMail Locator provides verification of field service events, exceptions and deliveries. First responders, inspectors and others can use this tool to document and share the details involved in an incident, including its GPS location and map, to provide their command centers with real-time situational awareness.

NextMail Locator is now available on select GPS-enabled Nextel and PowerSource(TM) phones, including the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)(R) Curve(TM) 8350i. Unlimited use of NextMail Locator is available for $19.99 per month, in addition to the customer’s monthly plan including Nextel Direct Connect.

NextMail enables mobile workers to “push, speak, send” a recorded voice message to up to 50 email addresses, even if the recipients are not Nextel Direct Connect subscribers, with a push of the Nextel Direct Connect button. NextMail allows users to open tickets, send in sales leads, close out jobs, meet industry reporting requirements, document breakages and problems at customer sites, schedule appointments or just record self-reminders. NextMail’s customizable subject lines enable recipients to prioritize inbound voice communications, allowing for critical issues to be handled first. NextMail is available for $7.50 per month.

BlackBerry Curve 8350i, the most advanced push-to-talk Blackberry smartphone
As previously announced, the BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is available at www.sprint.com or 1-800-NEXTEL-9 or from a Sprint business sales representative. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone uses iDEN technology on the Nextel National Network. It offers Nextel Direct Connect, the only national push-to-talk service in the industry to offer sub-second call setup to the world’s largest push-to-talk community — with millions of users. It is the first push-to-talk BlackBerry smartphone to offer built-in Wi-Fi support and Group Connect. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i is available for as low as $149.99 with a two-year service agreement, an $80 instant savings credit and a $100 mail-in rebate. NextMail Locator is available on the BlackBerry Curve 8350i.

About Nextel Direct Connect
With more than 15 years of expertise, Sprint is the undisputed leader in push-to-talk, serving the largest community of users in the world. Nextel Direct Connect has set the industry standard for push-to-talk and serves millions of Nextel Direct Connect subscribers on the fastest national push-to-talk network.

Nextel Direct Connect is the only push-to-talk product in the industry that offers:

• Industry-leading performance with the advantage of instant connection (call setup times of less than one second)
• Connection to the world’s largest community of users, with millions of existing Nextel Direct Connect subscribers
• Nationwide and international push-to-talk services
• The largest portfolio of push-to-talk phones, including the largest selection of rugged phones
• Integrated business solutions, including the largest selection of GPS-solutions

For more information about Nextel Direct Connect, visit www.sprint.com/nexteldirectconnect.

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 nearly 51 million customers at the end of the third quarter 2008; 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.