Sprint Expands in Chicago

Sprint (www.sprint.com ) customers throughout Chicagoland are enjoying outstanding wireless performance as a result of recent initiatives to enhance the nation's most complete all-digital nationwide wireless network.

"Sprint is committed to delivering the best customer experience in Chicagoland," said J.W. Penland, area vice president - Sprint. "Our ongoing network enhancements and retail expansion in Chicago this year underscore the importance of this market to Sprint."

The improvements are the direct result of Sprint investing more than $95 million to augment wireless network coverage in the Chicago area in 2004.

In fact, thanks in part to that substantial network investment and a growing customer need for advanced wireless services, Sprint's retail presence increased on Friday, Nov. 5, when the company opened its newest Sprint Store on Chicago's legendary shopping street, State Street. This brings the number of Sprint Stores in the Chicagoland area to 38.

As evidence of the network enhancements, Sprint wireless customers in Chicagoland experienced 25 percent fewer dropped calls and 37 percent fewer blocked calls from September 2004 over September 2003.

While these statistics are impressive, they are especially noteworthy considering Sprint's Chicagoland customers increased their overall minutes of use 29 percent during the same time period.

The new wireless SLAs offer service credits to businesses with corporate-sponsored (or company-paid) wireless subscribers based on the performance of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. The SLAs provide commitments for voice-service reliability based on measuring dropped calls, blocked calls and network voice availability.

Sprint is a integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries.