Sprint (NYSE:S) today unveils a unique suite of wireless voice pricing plans that combine the product benefits of its industry leading walkie-talkie and mobile-to-mobile services with rate plan features like shared minutes to minimize overages and reduce unused minutes. Sprint Business Essentials(R) is a simplified approach to wireless voice previously not available to business customers who can now purchase and easily manage their wireless needs at competitive rates.

"Business customers can mix and match rate plans and enjoy the ease of adding phones or rate plans as business needs change without extensive contract changes or negotiations, thus creating a customized wireless solution to meet their calling needs," said Vicki Warker, vice president of marketing and product, Sprint Business Solutions. "Sprint Business Essentials plans are tailored to meet business needs and help them make anyplace a workplace."

Sprint Business Essentials helps all business customers take advantage of leading services available on the Nextel National Network and Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. This provides a bucket of minutes that can be shared across multiple rate plans and multiple users on the same account and network, plus either unlimited Sprint mobile-to-mobile calling for Sprint Nationwide PCS Network customers, or unlimited nationwide walkie-talkie for customers using the Nextel National Network. The plan also includes many of the features enjoyed on both networks such as voicemail, Caller ID, nationwide long distance and unlimited nights and weekends calling.

In addition, customers using the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network can add unlimited Ready Link(SM) walkie-talkie service for $5 per month (per user) and Nextel National Network customers can add unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling for $5 per month (per user).

"This is one of many steps Sprint can take to simplify the portfolio of rates and services available across their wireless networks," said Rena Bhattacharyya, Program Manager for IDC's Wireless Business Network Services program. "This initiative makes it easier for businesses to select the specific services they need at a predictable cost."

Wireless data services can be added to the Sprint Business Essentials plan for only $10, $15 or $20 per phone, depending upon the desired usage amount. A number of business plans are available for the Mobile Broadband service which runs on the Sprint Power Vision(SM) (EV-DO) network, ranging from $40 a month for 40 Megabits of data to an unlimited access plan for $80 per month.

Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for its state-of-the-art network technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering reliable, seamless and superior service to its customers and the United States' first nationwide-all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint was the first to offer generally available performance commitments for its business customers through nationwide wireless voice and data Service Level Agreements (SLAs), a standard term in our business agreements. The voice SLAs provide commitments for voice service reliability based on measuring dropped calls, blocked