Chicagoland Customers Can Do More with Wireless: Sprint Enhances Wireless Coverage

[larry]

Chicagoland Customers Can Do More with Wireless: Sprint Enhances Wireless Coverage and Network Capacity
Significant Network Enhancements Are Part of a $56.5 Million Area-Wide Investment in 2007

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 19, 2008--Sprint (NYSE:S) wireless customers in the Chicagoland area who already take advantage of the company's networks should experience even better wireless services as a result of Sprint local network enhancements that occurred throughout 2007. Sprint added 106 wireless cell sites and created 177 in-building network solutions during 2007 to the Nationwide Sprint Network and Nextel National Network in the greater Chicago area.

"With a clear focus on serving its customers, Sprint is making significant investments to increase coverage and capacity in its wireless networks in Chicago and throughout the country," said J.W. Penland, Sprint area vice president for Illinois and Wisconsin. "In 2008, customer satisfaction and network quality are top priorities, as customers rely on Sprint to stay connected."

The following list outlines some local areas benefiting from these enhancements:

New Nationwide Sprint Network cell sites:


Sixty-six Sprint sites launched in 2007
Antioch, Ill., at Routes 173 and 83 (Main Street)
Bartlett, Ill., US-20 and IL-59
Chicago O'Hare Airport: Underground CTA pedestrian tunnel, Terminal Five
Chicago: a number of locations, including:
Navy Pier
h Austin Boulevard and Lake Street
Halsted and West 127th streets
United Center
West Washington Boulevard and Damen Avenue
Glen Ellyn, Ill., downtown Glen Ellyn and vicinity
Portage, Ind.: Route 249 and Dunes Highway
South Elgin, Ill., Randall and Hopps roads
Veteran's Memorial Highway (I-355 expansion): Three additional sites
Woodstock, Ill., Route 120 (McHenry Avenue) and Raffel Road

New Nextel National Network cell sites:

Forty Nextel sites launched in 2007
Bolingbrook, Ill., near Boughton and Weber Roads
Chicago: numerous locations, including:
East Congress Parkway and South Wabash Avenue
Grant Park: Five new sites serving the area
South Halsted and West 125th streets
South Pulaski Road and West 115th Street
South State Street and South Wabash Avenue
West Jackson Boulevard and South Jefferson Street
Highland Park, Ill., Park Avenue West and Skokie Highway (US 41)
Highwood, Ill., Sheridan Road and First Street
Oak Brook, Ill., Route 34 (31st Street) and Route 83 (Kingery Highway)

Nationally during 2007, Sprint added more than 4,000 cell sites to the Nationwide Sprint Network and Nextel National Network. Both networks are currently performing at their best-ever levels, which means fewer blocked or dropped calls, translating to better connections for customers.

[Shizam76]

Originally Posted by larry

Both networks are currently performing at their best-ever levels, which means fewer blocked or dropped calls, translating to better connections for customers.

I don't know about that (best-ever levels) My sister and her husband finally dropped Sprint after continuous calls chopping off...and dropping...and not being able to make calls in alot of areas. Now we can carry a conversation without interruption.

My Dad hates his Nextel phone...and only keeps it because he talks to guys at the jobsites...while on the jobsites. At home...he turns the thing off

[Cailiff04]

Typical for sprint to upgrade things in the "BIG CITIES" but they dont so anything in their smaller cities!!!

[larry]

Originally Posted by Cailiff04

Typical for sprint to upgrade things in the "BIG CITIES" but they dont so anything in their smaller cities!!!

Why do you feel the need to go around Sprint bashing all the time? It appears you don't even use them. For the record your statement is totally incorrect.

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by Cailiff04

Typical for sprint to upgrade things in the "BIG CITIES" but they dont so anything in their smaller cities!!!

Actually Sprint has improved the Everglades City area. Last time it was bad was a few years ago. As of 2004, the population was 513. So yes they do improve smaller cities.

[Eric47]

i mean there is only so much you can do with only 1900 licenses...this is why sprint is so reliant on alltel and verizon in rural areas, but generally in city areas and most highways they are working it seems..it all depends..sometimes it seems that they are complacent with just giving people roaming and not concerned about giving them native coverage

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

i mean there is only so much you can do with only 1900 licenses...this is why sprint is so reliant on alltel and verizon in rural areas, but generally in city areas and most highways they are working it seems..it all depends..sometimes it seems that they are complacent with just giving people roaming and not concerned about giving them native coverage

That is true. In fact, I was talking about this very subject with a friend of my the other day. I was deep inland in my county and the closest towers were approx. 10 miles away, and our Verizon phones were 0 bars and not working (the calls would fail). Even forcing the phones over ot Alltel resulted in the same thing. I picked up my Sprint phone and I was receiving a native Sprint signal and 90% of the time had EVDO. I could even connect the calls.

Below is two of the pictures that I took with my digital camera of the off-road scenes where my dad and I learned about new things to incorporate into our family run ecotour business:

[larry]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

i mean there is only so much you can do with only 1900 licenses...this is why sprint is so reliant on alltel and verizon in rural areas, but generally in city areas and most highways they are working it seems..it all depends..sometimes it seems that they are complacent with just giving people roaming and not concerned about giving them native coverage

Does roaming really matter these days? All features are available now and of course no roaming charges. It's not 1999 or 2000 anymore when not having native coverage somewhere was such a big deal. It seems like nobody ever picks on the other carriers who also rely on roaming. Instead they give them a pass and only single out Sprint. But regardless the vast majority of Sprint customer don't roam or roam very little anyway. But even the ones who do roam have access to the largest coverage area out of any carrier as Sprint's roaming agreements are the most extensive.

[Eric47]

Originally Posted by larry

Does roaming really matter these days? All features are available now and of course no roaming charges. It's not 1999 or 2000 anymore when not having native coverage somewhere was such a big deal. It seems like nobody ever picks on the other carriers who also rely on roaming. Instead they give them a pass and only single out Sprint. But regardless the vast majority of Sprint customer don't roam or roam very little anyway. But even the ones who do roam have access to the largest coverage area out of any carrier as Sprint's roaming agreements are the most extensive.

Yes for people not living in a native sprint area and having sprintt its a big deal. Not having m2m or n&w when people think they have it can KILL someones minutes.

Honestly sprint is like TMOB but better roaming agreements but just bc u have good roaming doesnt mean its good for people in roaming areas.

I think this is also why tmob has a better reputation is they dont tick customers off with constant roaming...they are very upfront about where they do and dont work

[larry]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

Yes for people not living in a native sprint area and having sprintt its a big deal.

If someone is living in a non Sprint native area then they shouldn't have Sprint to begin with.

[Eric47]

i agree lol...that doesnt mean that their arent indirects and possibly even direct sales people slingin sprint phones to people in the boondocks just to get that new activation