Sprint Announces Convergence of the Cell Phone and Desk Phone with Sprint Wireless Integration

Extends desktop PBX features to mobile users, lowers overall telecom costs

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced the launch of Sprint Wireless Integration, a product that extends customers' premises-based PBX features and functionality to their mobile phones. The solution offers business customers additional value and new capabilities by integrating Avaya "Extension to Cellular" capabilities and new Sprint network advancements.

Sprint Wireless Integration features include providing users with one phone number that simultaneously rings both the desk phone and mobile phone, along with one converged enterprise voicemail inbox. It also extends PBX features like conferencing and call forwarding to the mobile phone so users can get all the functionality of their desk phone even while away from the office. For example, mobile users can make intra-company calls by simply dialing the four-digit extension of the person they want to reach, just as they would from the office desk phone – with no access numbers to dial or codes to enter first.

Built within Sprint's IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) architecture, Sprint Wireless Integration is the industry's first "hosted mobility" solution. "By converging wireline and wireless functionality, Sprint Wireless Integration provides a better overall service – one that is more functional and also makes communication more simple and effective," said Tony Krueck, vice president of product management and development, Sprint. "This solution is a great example of the promise of Fixed/Mobile Convergence."

Lowers telecom costs while extending accessibility, simplifying management
Providing PBX functionality to users' mobile phones can provide businesses the power to simplify management of voice services. By effectively making wireless phones an extension of the enterprise voice system, network administrators reduce the number of disparate networks they manage while providing a consistent service to both desk and mobile phone users. In some cases, wireless phones can now serve as full-featured "desk phone replacements", allowing businesses to reduce costs by beginning to replace their desk phones with more flexible mobile phones.

Wireless Integration provides additional telecom cost savings since outbound mobile calls routed through the customer's premise-based PBX are considered "on-net" and don't incur mobile usage charges. Mobile-to-international calls also can be routed through the customer's PBX or international VPN, reducing rates significantly.

Sprint Wireless Integration is currently available to businesses with Avaya Communication Manager enterprise telephony PBX. Sprint will be announcing support for similar solutions with other major PBX providers in early 2007.

More details on Sprint Wireless Integration are available at www.sprint.com/voip.