Sprint
in conjunction with the nationwide introduction of PCS Vision(SM) -
the company's revolutionary Third Generation (3G) wireless products
and services - also announces another industry-leading milestone as
the first U.S. carrier to complete a nationwide 3G 1X network upgrade.
The enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network will provide peak speeds
of up to 144 kbps with average user speeds of 50 - 70 kbps. Leveraging
its single technology, single-frequency, all-CDMA network, Sprint's
seamless migration was assisted by several key infrastructure vendors
that provided network infrastructure equipment and technology support
including: Bytemobile, CommWorks, HP, Lucent Technologies, Motorola,
Nortel Networks, Openwave Systems, QUALCOMM and Samsung.
Picture left shows Sanyo 4900 3G compatible mobile offered by Sprint.
"Sprint is once again leading the industry asthe first U.S. carrier to offer next generation wireless services nationwide to our customers with the completion of our network upgrade to 3G 1X, with clarity our customers will see as well as hear," said Charles E. Levine, president, PCS division, Sprint. "As we unveil our PCS Vision products and services, the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network provides a platform that allows us to continue to roll out new products and services that will change the way Sprint wireless customers work, learn, play and communicate. Each of these companies played an important role in the nationwide delivery of PCS Vision products and services for Sprint wireless customers."
In addition to the network upgrade, Sprint has worked with Bytemobile to incorporate dynamic bandwidth optimization technology from its Macara platform on the enhanced network. Using certain PCS Vision enabled devices, Sprint wireless customers will experience average data speeds two to five times faster than average user speeds on the enhanced Nationwide PCS Network, depending on the specific application. Customers will experience these speeds on some applications when accessing or downloading files from the Web via a PCS Connection Card such as the PCS Connection Card by Novatel Wireless (Merlin 210) or PCS Connection Card by Sierra Wireless (Aircard 550) with a laptop or PDA. The bandwidth optimization, provided by Bytemobile, will offer a clear advantage for Sprint wireless business customers looking for high- speed connectivity options while on the road.
Sprint built its network from the ground up with advanced wireless services in mind, based on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology. CDMA2000, recognized as a 3G standard by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), allows for an efficient and economical evolutionary path, maximizing spectrum and enabling Sprint to achieve up to double its network capacity as PCS Vision-enabled handsets are deployed throughout the network.
CommWorks, HP, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel Networks, Openwave Systems, QUALCOMM and Samsung contributed to the network upgrade, which consisted of changing out channel cards at base stations and upgrading channel elements and software, as well as adding data components to network infrastructure.
"Sprint recognizes the hard work of each of these companies that played a role in our migration to Third Generation network services," said Oliver Valente, chief technology officer, PCS division, Sprint. "Sprint's selection of CDMA2000 allowed us to leverage the natural evolution of our network, providing Sprint with voice capacity improvements that alone were worth the investment to enhance our network. And with the support of our vendors, we're pleased to announce the completion of our network upgrade."
For Sprint wireless customers, the completion of this nationwide network upgrade means consistent access to PCS Vision services anytime, anywhere across the country on the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. Current 2G services will continue to work as they did before the introduction of PCS Vision. Customers will not need to purchase new handsets in order to continue Sprint wireless services, unless they would like to take advantage of the new PCS Vision products and services. Plus, Sprint will continue to operate on a single billing platform due to its seamless, single technology nationwide network, which is particularly valuable to enterprise customers who wish to consolidate their nationwide wireless business onto one bill.