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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sprint Adds Major U.S. Airports to Growing List of PCS Wi-Fi
Access Hot Spot Locations through Roaming Agreement with Concourse
Chicago, IL – December
2, 2003 – Being productive while spending time in airports
is becoming easier for frequent air travelers with access to high-speed
Wi-Fi networks. Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS), operator of the nation’s
largest next generation wireless network, and Concourse Communications
Group, LLC, a leader in the design, installation and operation of
wireless voice and data networks, today announced the signing of
a Wi-Fi roaming agreement. The agreement enables PCS Wi-Fi Access
customers to use Concourse Wi-Fi networks at several major U.S. airports.
Hot spots in passenger areas at LaGuardia and Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airports are now available, with Detroit Wayne County
Metropolitan, JFK and Newark Liberty Airports expected to follow
in early 2004.
According to analysts, airport hot spots are among the fastest growing locations
for Wi-Fi usage worldwide. PCS Wi-Fi Access is a high-speed wireless data service
from Sprint that uses 802.11b technology to enable mobile professionals to
replicate their desktop environment and get remote access to the Internet,
e-mail and corporate applications on their mobile devices while away from the
office. Sprint is focused on providing Wi-Fi services in high traffic areas
such as airports, hotels, convention centers and other public venues where
customers tend to need it most and can derive the greatest benefit.
“Sprint understands that the killer app for our business customers is wireless
access to whatever corporate information they need to get their jobs done while
away from the office,” said Phil Bowman, vice president of business marketing
for Sprint. “Through our relationship with Concourse, we are able to provide
high-speed wireless access in some of the country’s busiest airports. With
PCS Wi-Fi Access, customers can use their laptops to quickly and easily access
the Internet, email and corporate applications at speeds that would typically
require being in the office or at home. We’re changing the paradigm with
PCS Wi-Fi Access and PCS Vision data services.”
“Earlier this year, we announced the availability of Wi-Fi service to end
users in several of our airports,” said Joe Beatty, CEO of Concourse Communications. “Our
plan was to establish roaming agreements with the key Wireless Internet Service
Providers (WISPs) in order to allow the networks to be used by the largest possible
audience. Consequently, we’re delighted to have Sprint as a roaming partner
and look forward to hosting their PCS Wi-Fi Access customers at our existing
Wi-Fi networks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International and LaGuardia Airports,
as well as at future Concourse Wi-Fi venues.”
Customers will need a Wi-Fi Internet card or mobile device embedded with Wi-Fi
technology in order to take advantage of the service. PCS Connection ManagerSM
Software with Wi-Fi enables laptop users to manage the service in hundreds
of other Sprint compatible public Wi-Fi ZONES in a consistent manner. To subscribe
to the service, and to download the software, Sprint as well as non-Sprint
customers can visit www.wifi.sprintpcs.com. The software includes the ability
to detect Wi-Fi in public venues compatible with Sprint service, as well as
a directory of all compatible PCS Wi-Fi Access locations, and is automatically
updated as new locations are added.
PCS Wi-Fi Access is available at an introductory price of $6.95 per connection,
for 24 hours of unlimited access per location. Customers can get information
about the service by calling 1-866-PCS-WIFI (727-9434) from any phone or pressing
#-W-I-F-I (#9434) from their PCS Phone. Currently, customers must pay for the
service using a valid credit card, which is entered during the initial one-time
setup of their account. Sprint plans to integrate billing in early 2004 so
PCS customers can choose to have charges applied to their wireless statement.
For complete information on PCS Wi-Fi Access, PCS Connection Manager Software,
tutorials and troubleshooting information, and an online list of compatible
locations, visit www.sprint.com/pcsbusiness and click on ‘PCS Wi-Fi Access.’
Sprint expects PCS Wi-Fi Access to be available in more than 2,100 locations
by early 2004 through a combination of Wi-Fi ZONES? built and managed by Sprint,
as well as Airpath Wireless, Cometa Networks, Concourse and Wayport. In a separate
announcement today, Sprint announced availability of PCS Wi-Fi Access at the
Kansas City International Airport, the first airport hot spot owned and operated
by Sprint.
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About
Concourse Communications Group, LLC
As the leading developer of neutral host Wireless Access Systems, Concourse
Communications Group is redefining wireless communications services at
major U.S. airports and other commercial venues, including LaGuardia, JFK,
Newark Liberty, Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport and the Minneapolis/St.
Paul International Airport. These systems support wireless voice, data
and video services offered by commercial wireless service providers, airport
operators and their airline tenants. For more information, please visit
www.concoursecommunications.com.
About Sprint
Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than
26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 68,000 employees
worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, Sprint is widely recognized
for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies,
including the United States’ first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic
network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides
local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia
and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network
in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
Media Contacts:
Steve Lundin, BIGfrontier Communications Group
773-881-4670
slundin@bigfrontier.com
Suzanne Lammers, Sprint
913-794-2946
slamme01@sprintspectrum.com
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