Sprint announced on Tuesday that it is now selling access to its 4G WiMAX network, currently available in 71 markets across the United States, to its wholesale customers. Typically the carrier only sells its 3G network to wholesaler customers and it is now the first U.S. carrier to sell 4G wholesale. Sprint said that it will offer its customers the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card as well as the HTC Detail 4G handset and the EVO Shift 4G. Mitel is among the first of Sprint’s wholesale customers to deploy a 4G network. Read on for the full press release from Sprint.
Another Industry First: Sprint Becomes First U.S. Wireless Carrier to Make 4G Available to Wholesale Customers
Sprint Enables Wholesale Customers with 4G Network Resale Opportunities and Award-winning Dual-mode Products to Help Capture Market Share
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 02, 2011 – Sprint [NYSE: S] is now enabling Wholesale customers with the power of faster download speeds and more bandwidth by providing them with access to America’s Favorite 4G Network.1 Sprint is the only national wireless carrier to provide a Wholesale 4G offering. Available immediately for Sprint’s Wholesale customers are the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card and HTC Detail 3G/4G handset, which has the same feature set as HTC EVO ShiftTM 4G, a member of the award-winning EVO family of devices. Sprint’s 3G/4G Wholesale roadmap includes additional handsets, data cards, hotspot devices and a fixed access alternative to be introduced in the coming months.
“Customers looking for a large and established 4G ecosystem should consider Sprint, as we offer access to more than 120 ecosystem partners, including chipset vendors, device and equipment manufacturers, applications developers, machine-to-machine solutions providers and more,” said Matt Carter, president Sprint Wholesale Solutions and New Ventures. “With Sprint 4G, the possibilities for our customers are endless. 4G is another fine example of the complete solutions we offer to help our customers harness their full potential.”
As businesses increasingly demand an in-the-office experience on the go, 4G is the best solution to answer that demand. Wholesale customers now having access to this technology means they can respond confidently to the demands of their small and medium sized business customers. Mitel is a Sprint Wholesale customer that has already deployed a 4G solution.
“Mitel was an early adopter of Sprint’s Wholesale 4G offering when we added the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card to our product mix in fall 2010. We pride ourselves on delivering the Mitel difference, by providing our customers with the products and services that are hot in the market now,” says Jon Brinton, president of Mitel NetSolutions. “By adding 4G to our NetSolutions platform, and offering a mobile service that provides 4G speeds, we are bringing the leading edge of wireless technology solutions to our mobility customers.”
Wholesale customers can take advantage of Sprint’s leadership position with 4G devices, as the company has launched or announced two dozen 4G-capable devices since introducing 4G in 2008. Sprint made 4G a reality for customers in markets across the country when it was the first U.S. wireless carrier to launch a 3G/4G AndroidTM-powered smartphone, the award-winning HTC EVOTM 4G in June 2010. Sprint has built on its phone leadership by adding critically acclaimed 4G handsets from HTC, Motorola and Samsung to its industry-leading 4G device portfolio. Sprint 4G offers average download speeds between 3-6 Mbps, with bursts of over 10 Mbps.
Sprint 4G is available today in 71 markets across the United States, including but not limited to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. operated over the Clearwire 4G network. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com/4G.
