Sprint Accelerating Expansion of CDMA EV-DO Network

Sprint has announced aggressive plans for the expansion and evolution of the Sprint Power Vision network which now covers over half of the U.S. population with mobile broadband data services based on the CDMA EV-DO cellular data standard.

By year end 2006 the high-speed wireless network is expected to reach an estimated 190 million people in the country and in Puerto Rico, making it the largest mobility network of its kind.

Sprint also plan to concurrently implement second-generation technology upgrades later this year known as EV-DO Revision A, with an expected release date of 1Q 2007. Sprint plans to reach about 220 million people in the U.S. with the advanced network by the end of 3Q '07.

Users can currently access various audio, video and data applications with handheld and connection-card devices at average download speeds equivalent to DSL (400-700 kbps and peak speeds up to 2 Mbps).

The company says with Revision A technology, peak download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates increase to 1.8 Mbps (from 144 kbps). Average download speeds improve to 450-800 kbps (from 400 -700) and average uplink speeds become 300 - 400 kpbs (versus 70 - 144 kpbs). The faster data rates can enable richer applications and services such as high-speed video telephony, music on demand, video messaging, large file uploads and high performance push-to-talk capability.

Wireless broadband customers can currently access the mobility network with the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device (Windows Mobile Pocket PC PPC 6700) and Sprint PCS Connection Cards Novatel Wireless 620, Sierra Wireless 580 and PC 5740. Panasonic Toughbook PC models (18, 29 and 73) also have embedded EV-DO capability for Sprint network access. Consumer data devices include Sprint Power Vision phones from Samsung (A900 and A920) and the MM 7500 by Sanyo.