While speaking at the Competitive Carriers Global Expo, Sprint’s senior vice president of networks Bob Azzi said that while the company has experienced success with its WiMAX handsets, it will not launch any additional WiMAX devices. The announcement comes after Sprint previously confirmed that it would continue to offer 4G WiMAX devices through 2012 and support the service through 2015. Instead, the company plans to focus on its Network Vision project and upcoming 4G LTE netowrk, Fierce Wireless reported on Thursday. “We are wrapping up final field integration tests,” Azzi said. “The technology works and delivers more benefits than we expected.” The executive noted that the company’s Network Vision project will result in a 50% reduction in cost-per-gigabyte to deliver data and cost-per-minute to deliver voice. “This is a huge benefit to us,” he said, adding that there are between 5,000 to 6,000 people devoted to the project, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2013.

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Sprint’s first 4G LTE device will be the Sierra Wireless Tri-Network mobile hotspot, SprintFeed reported on Tuesday. The device was originally announced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but was overshadowed by the Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper. The Tri-Network hotspot can support up to eight simultaneous data connections using 3G, WiMAX or LTE connectivity. SprintFeed’s sources were able to confirm that the hotspot is scheduled to be released on May 18th, although pricing and data plan information is not yet available.

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NetZero burst onto the scene in 1998 as the first in a crop of Internet service providers that gave subscribers free access to the Web using an advertising-supported model. NetZero’s patented ad technology displayed highly targeted ads to users as they browsed the Internet at dial-up speeds, but it was forced into a freemium model when a number of other ISPs began offering free Web access as well. NetZero continues to offer basic paid dial-up and broadband services, but now the company is going back to its roots in an effort to disrupt the wireless industry as it did to the dial-up industry nearly 14 years ago.

With Clearwire as its network partner, NetZero on Monday unveiled a new contract-free 4G wireless broadband service. At launch, NetZero has two affordable hardware devices available for purchase: a $49.99 NetZero 4G Stick and a $99.99 NetZero 4G Hotspot. Neither device requires a commitment of any kind on the part of the user.

Affordable 4G modems are just the beginning. NetZero will also offer five no-contract service plans at launch that start at free — yes, free — and top out at $49.99 per month.

The free plan obviously comes with some big caveats. First, it only affords 200MB of data each month. On a WiMAX network that afforded average download speeds of between 8Mbps and 9Mbps during my tests, this seems like an incredibly small amount of data. For light travelers who need access to email on the go a few times each month with minimal Web browsing, however, this plan will certainly get the job done. Any use case beyond that will likely require a larger plan.

The other big draw-back is a restriction stipulating that the free plan can only be used for 12 consecutive months. This means two things: if a user activates the free plan and then upgrades to a paid plan after a month or two, he or she cannot switch back to the free plan. Secondly, the light travelers looking for a free high-speed connection described above will only have a year to enjoy free service. The cheapest monthly plan after a year is just $9.95 though, and since there are no contracts to worry about, users can deactivate and reactivate service at any time.

Here’s what we get when we line up NetZero’s plans against 4G broadband plans from the four major U.S. carriers:

Sprint is clearly the best value for heavier users, but there’s an obvious catch. Each plan listed above for Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile requires the customer to sign a two-year contract. This means at Sprint, the subscriber will spend a minimum of $839.76 for service over the life of a contract on top of the hardware purchase price, even if service is only used for a handful of months over the course of two years. T-Mobile subscribers will pay a minimum of $959.76 over two years, and AT&T and Verizon customers will pay a minimum of $1,200. The only way out, of course, is to pay a lump-sum early termination fee, the cost of which varies between carriers.

There is another consideration, however, and that is coverage. NetZero’s 4G service utilizes Clearwire’s WiMAX network, which covers 82 cities across the United States and their surrounding areas. That’s it. NetZero’s current hardware only supports WiMAX, so neither currently available device will operate on Clearwire’s upcoming LTE network. The company may release LTE-compatible devices in the future, but for now, coverage will not be expanding.

NetZero’s 4G Hotspot performed extremely well during my tests in and around New York City, with no service interruptions to speak of. Download speeds averaged about 8.3Mbps, which is more than enough to accommodate most users, and upload speeds hovered above 1Mbps.

The device itself is very easy to use, and the big, clear LCD display provides key information like signal strength, remaining battery charge and a WEP key. Battery life seemed above average compared to other portable hotspots I’ve used, and I still had two bars left after a few hours of usage in an area with solid WiMAX coverage.

NetZero’s success as a wireless service provider is anything but guaranteed. It offers clear benefits compared to the nation’s top carriers — no contracts, free and inexpensive plan options, low-cost hardware — but coverage will be a big barrier for many potential customers. If a potential subscriber doen’t spend all or at least most of his or her time in and around the 82 cities listed above, NetZero’s service is simply not an option.

NetZero’s 4G devices and service becomes available to consumers at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Monday, and additional details are available on the company’s website.

Google on Friday filed documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to sell its entire stake in Clearwire. The Mountain View-based company spent $500 million in 2008  to acquire a 6.5% stake in Clearwire, and now the search giant is now looking to sell its share for $47 million, less than a tenth of the original investment. Clearwire was the first company to roll out a 4G network in the U.S., however the WiMAX technology the network was built around failed to gain widespread adoption, with every major carrier instead deploying or looking to deploy 4G LTE service. Even Clearwire’s largest shareholder, Sprint, announced plans to launch a 4G LTE network in mid-2012. According to the SEC filing, Google will exit Clearwire in an effort to rebalance its investment portfolio. The sale is expected to close by the end of March.

[Via The Verge]

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More than 50% of all phones sold this year will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks, according to a new report from ABI Research. “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012,” Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting for ABI Research said. “The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.” Read on for more.

ABI Research also said Samsung has continued to push its smartphones into emerging markets while Apple is targeting South America and Brazil and seeing more success in China than it has in India. “North America may only represent 15% of feature and smartphone units shipped globally, but due to the high proportion of high-end smartphone sales, it constitutes 40% of total smartphones sold by value. It underscores what is at stake in the patent battles between Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Google, HTC, Microsoft, and even British Telecom,” says Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director, mobile devices.

3G and 4G Handsets Will Capture More than 50% of Handset Sales in 2012

SINGAPORE – January 5, 2012

“As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012,” observes Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting. “The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.”
In the second half of 2011, tier one smartphone vendors began redoubling efforts to promote their smartphone line-up to upwardly mobile, aspirational smartphone owners in emerging markets. Samsung, with its varied smartphone segmentation strategy, has been making substantial inroads into the emerging country smartphone market. Apple is expanding sales channels in emerging markets, with greater success in China than it’s having in India, but is also targeting South American markets such as Brazil. HTC is gaining traction in China, but developed markets such as North America and Europe continue to be the mainstay of its “ship into” markets. RIM, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, continues to do well in messaging-centric emerging markets such as Indonesia. Nokia hopes to benefit from Windows Phone 7 Lumia series launches in India (Dec-2011) and China (in 1Q-2012).

The North American handset market, driven primarily by smartphones, is proving oblivious to the Euroland debt crisis. North America is estimated to have closed 2011 with 228 million handsets shipped, for a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 14%, the region’s highest YoY growth in more than five years.

“North America may only represent 15% of feature and smartphone units shipped globally, but due to the high proportion of high-end smartphone sales, it constitutes 40% of total smartphones sold by value. It underscores what is at stake in the patent battles between Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Google, HTC, Microsoft, and even British Telecom,” says Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director, mobile devices.

ABI Research’s new study, “Mobile Device Shipment Market Data,” provides critical data on vendor market share, vendor ASPs, and handset shipments.

It is part of the firm’s Smartphones & Mobile Devices Research Service.

Sprint, a carrier that often touts itself as the only carrier with “truly unlimited” data plans, actually throttles its heaviest data users. Speaking at an investor conference on Thursday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse admitted that Sprint imposes limits the top 1% of data hogs. “For those that want to abuse it, we can knock them off,” Hesse said. The executive explained that Sprint needs to throttle — or slow down the data speeds — of its heaviest users in order to make room for the growing number of smartphone users on its 3G and 4G WiMAX networks. Earlier on Thursday Sprint detailed its first 4G LTE markets, which will roll out in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio during the first half of this year.

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Sprint on Thursday announced the first markets that will be upgraded with 4G LTE service this year. The company’s LTE network will launch in the first half of this year in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, CEO Dan Hesse revealed during a talk at the Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference. Hesse also said that Sprint would be upgrading its 3G coverage in those markets at the same time. Sprint was the first carrier in the United States to deploy a 4G network, but it opted to use WiMAX technology rather than LTE. In the fall of 2011, however, Sprint announced that the company would convert to a single-network architecture, moving away from CDMA and WiMAX as it rolls out its LTE network. Rather than abandoning the company’s old technology, Sprint inked a deal with Clearwire to continue supporting WiMAX through 2015. Sprint’s full press release follows below.

Sprint Announces First Major Markets to Receive 4G LTE in 2012

Customers in Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and San Antonio are expected to enjoy ultra-fast service and an improved 3G wireless experience before middle of year

SAN FRANCISCO (BUSINESS WIRE), January 05, 2012 – Sprint (NYSE: S) CEO Dan Hesse announced today at the annual Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference that customers in Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and San Antonio are expected to be among the first to benefit from 4G LTE and improved 3G coverage in the first half of 2012.

The launch of these metropolitan areas marks the next step in the company’s overall network strategy, also known as Network Vision. Sprint customers can expect to enjoy ultra-fast data speeds, improved 3G voice and data quality, and stronger in-building signal penetration providing a more reliable wireless experience. Whether a Sprint customer is on a smartphone streaming video, browsing the Web with a mobile hotspot, or making a voice call to someone across the country, everyone¹ in the upgraded areas is expected to benefit from the advanced 3G/4G LTE network.

“Within the first half of 2012, Sprint customers should experience first-hand the wide-reaching improvements we have made in terms of boosting voice and data quality,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president – Network, Sprint. “With advanced smartphones and sophisticated wireless modems, our customers are using more and more mobile data, and one of our top priorities is to provide the best technology possible to improve our customers’ experience.”

Sprint’s Network Vision platform involves the deployment of multimode base stations across many of Sprint’s cell sites throughout the country. As base stations are deployed, customers will notice immediate improvements in voice quality, signal density and data speeds. The first completed deployment of a multimode base station was in Branchburg, N.J., in December 2011. As additional areas receive 3G enhancements and 4G LTE service, announcements will be made.

Another component of Sprint’s network strategy has been the deployment of Sprint^® Direct Connect^® on the CDMA network. Sprint’s legacy in push-to-talk leadership continues with new CDMA devices that launched in September, 2011. More CDMA push-to-talk devices will be announced in the coming months.

Sprint has been an innovator with 4G since first launching the technology in 2008. Sprint has launched more than 25 4G-enabled smartphones, USB connection cards, notebook/netbook products, mobile hotspots and routers. Sprint offers a proven, reliable 4G experience for millions of customers compared to other national wireless carriers. Additionally, Sprint is a leader in value, with Sprint Everything plans with Any Mobile, Anytime^SM, including unlimited data, texting and calling to and from any mobile phone in America while on the Sprint network. With Sprint’s unlimited data plans, customers don’t have to worry about throttling or data overage charges on their monthly bill as they might with tiered data plans from other carriers.

Clearwire announced recently that it has garnered another $734 million in funding after closing its public offering of Class A common stock at $2.00 per share. The public offering earned Clearwire $384.1 million after commissions, and it pulled in an additional $331.4 million selling Class B shares to Sprint. ”This equity raise is a critical step for Clearwire to achieve its long-term business plan of creating the first wide-channel TDD-LTE 4G network in the U.S.,” president and CEO of Clearwire Erik Prusch said. “The added resources will enable us to continue delivering 4G mobile broadband service to meet the rapidly growing demand in the industry. We remain ideally and uniquely positioned to serve both wholesale and retail customers well into the future.” Read on for more.

Clearwire said it plans to use the new capital for “general corporate and working capital purposes, including the deployment of mobile 4G LTE technology alongside the mobile 4G WiMAX technology currently on its network, and for the operation and maintenance of its networks, and to pay fees and expenses associated with this offering.”

Sprint and Clearwire entered into a 4G WiMAX and LTE agreement on December 1st in which Clearwire could earn as much as $1.6 billion over the next four years selling its services to Sprint.

CLEARWIRE ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF TRANSACTIONS TOTALING $734 MILLION IN GROSS PROCEEDS

• Public Equity Offering Raises Gross Proceeds of $402.5 Million
• Clearwire Receives Additional $331.4 Million in Net Proceeds from Sprint Exercise of Preemptive Right
• New Capital Positions Company to Create Nation’s First Wide-Channel TDD-LTE 4G Network

BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) –  Clearwire Corporation (Nasdaq:CLWR) (“Clearwire”) announced today that it has closed its public offering (the “offering”) of 201,250,000 shares of Class A common stock at $2.00 per share originally announced on December 5, 2011, comprised of 175,000,000 shares of Class A common stock initially offered and an additional 26,250,000 shares of Class A common stock sold pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option. The successful offering will provide Clearwire with net proceeds of $384.1 million, after underwriters’ discounts and commissions.

In addition, Sprint has exercised its preemptive rights to purchase 173,635,000 shares of Class B Common Stock and a corresponding number of Class B units in Clearwire Communications LLC, which will provide Clearwire with an additional $331.4 million in net proceeds. The total net new capital available to Clearwire following today’s closings is $715.5 million.

“This equity raise is a critical step for Clearwire to achieve its long-term business plan of creating the first wide-channel TDD-LTE 4G network in the U.S.,” said Erik Prusch, president and CEO of Clearwire. “The added resources will enable us to continue delivering 4G mobile broadband service to meet the rapidly growing demand in the industry. We remain ideally and uniquely positioned to serve both wholesale and retail customers well into the future.”

On December 1, 2011, Clearwire and Sprint announced agreements whereby, among other things, Sprint committed to provide additional equity funding to Clearwire in connection with a public offering meeting certain requirements. Today’s exercise of preemptive rights by Sprint satisfies its commitment.

Clearwire plans to use the net proceeds for general corporate and working capital purposes, including the deployment of mobile 4G LTE technology alongside the mobile 4G WiMAX technology currently on its network, and for the operation and maintenance of its networks, and to pay fees and expenses associated with this offering.

J.P. Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch and Jefferies acted as joint book-running managers for this offering.

 

Sprint and Clearwire on Thursday announced a new 4G LTE and WiMAX agreement that will extend over the next few years. The agreement could be worth up to $1.6 billion over the next four years for Clearwire, which it will earn selling its services to Sprint. “These agreements are a result of the technical MOU we outlined during our third quarter results call and extend our relationship with Clearwire,” Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said. “It provides Sprint improved pricing, allows us to continue to provide WiMAX 4G services to our customers today and to new customers in the future and provides additional LTE capacity to help complement our Network Vision strategy and meet our customers’ growing data demands.” Read on for more.

Sprint said it will pay Clearwire $926 million for unlimited 4G WiMAX access through 2012 and 2013, and that about a third of that payment will be made in 2012. The agreement also guarantees Sprint access to Clearwire‘s WiMAX network through 2015, which means Sprint customers who purchase WiMAX handsets in 2012 will not have to worry about losing 4G service throughout the life of their device.

Sprint will pay Clearwire “up to” an additional $350 million over two years for access to Clearwire‘s LTE capacity provided that Clearwire meets certain build-out deadlines by June 2013. The carrier also committed to providing Clearwire with up to an additional $347 million if the company raises between $400 million and $700 million as part of a new equity offering. The full press release from Clearwire follows below.

Sprint and Clearwire Announce New Agreements

• Offers Clearwire Up to $1.6 Billion in Conditional Aggregate Revenues and Funding
  
• Clearwire to Receive Total of $926 Million From Sprint for Unlimited 4G WiMAX Services in 2012 and 2013; WiMAX Network to Operate Through at Least 2015
  
• Sprint to Provide Support for Future LTE Services
  
• Companies Agree on Parameters for Additional Sprint Equity Investment
  
• Clearwire to Pay $237 Million Total Interest for First-Priority, Second-Priority and Exchangeable Notes as Scheduled

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. and BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and Clearwire (Nasdaq:CLWR) today announced agreements potentially worth up to $1.6 billion over the next four years in payments for WiMAX services, possible pre-payments for LTE services and potential equity investments. The agreements further align Clearwire‘s LTE network build as a complement to Sprint’s Network Vision strategy.

Also today, Clearwire announced that it has made interest payments totaling $237 million on its first-priority, second-priority and exchangeable notes which were due Dec. 1, 2011.

“These agreements are a result of the technical MOU we outlined during our third quarter results call and extend our relationship with Clearwire,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “It provides Sprint improved pricing, allows us to continue to provide WiMAX 4G services to our customers today and to new customers in the future and provides additional LTE capacity to help complement our Network Vision strategy and meet our customers’ growing data demands.”

“Today’s announcement further cements the mutually beneficial relationship between our two companies,” said Erik Prusch, president and CEO of Clearwire. “It is an important step toward meeting Clearwire‘s key goals of extending our current 4G network arrangement, securing a commitment to our future LTE Advanced-ready network, and funding the business. We continue to move closer to realizing the full value of our deep spectrum resources as we are uniquely positioned to meet the rapidly growing demand for 4G mobile broadband.”

Wholesale Pricing and 4G Availability

The agreements modify prior wholesale pricing agreements and provide Sprint with unlimited access to Clearwire‘s WiMAX network to meet its growing 4G data demands. Under the terms of the agreements, Sprint will pay Clearwire a total of $926 million, approximately two-thirds of which will be paid in 2012, for unlimited 4G WiMAX retail services during 2012 and 2013, subject to certain conditions. The agreements also establish long-term usage-based pricing for WiMAX services in 2014 and beyond. Sprint will have access to Clearwire‘s WiMAX network through at least 2015. Sprint plans to continue selling WiMAX devices with two-year contracts through at least 2012 and support those devices through the life of the contract.

In addition, the agreement contains separate, competitive pricing for re-wholesaling by Sprint that provides flexibility for Sprint to grow its 4G WiMAX wholesale business while at the same time providing Clearwire increased pricing flexibility that should allow Clearwire to grow its wholesale markets and attract new customers.

TDD-LTE Collaboration

The agreements also lay the foundation for the deployment of Clearwire‘s planned LTE Advanced-ready overlay network and outline the terms for Sprint to gain access to the additional LTE capacity. The TDD-LTE rollout will capitalize on Clearwire‘s deep spectrum resources to deliver on 4G capacity needs over the long-term. Under the terms, Sprint will pay Clearwire up to $350 million in a series of prepayments over a period of up to two years for LTE capacity if Clearwire achieves certain build-out targets and network specifications by June 2013. The agreements also establish long-term usage-based pricing for LTE services for 2012 and beyond. The companies have agreed to collaborate on a network build plan and will jointly select LTE macro-cell sites to cover Sprint’s high usage area “hotspots.”  Clearwire plans to seek additional funding before initiating the build-out of its LTE Advanced-ready network.

In addition, Clearwire and Sprint will work collaboratively to support the ecosystem for TDD-LTE in Band Class 41 for devices, chipsets and standards. Subject to the timing of the build-out and other factors, Sprint expects to launch devices including laptop cards and phones that will utilize Clearwire‘s TDD-LTE network in 2013.

Equity Investment

Sprint has committed to providing additional equity funding to Clearwire in the event of an equity offering. If Clearwire raises new equity between $400 and $700 million, Sprint will participate in the offering on a pro rata basis up to $347 million, consistent with Sprint’s current voting interest of 49.6 percent on the same terms and conditions as other participating companies.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 53 million customers at the end of 3Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

It worked. 4G has been marketed so well by wireless carriers and vendors that people want it even if they don’t quite know why. A recent survey conducted by market research and intelligence firm In-Stat found that 75% of respondents listed 4G as one of the features their ideal phone would include. When asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, most respondents were left stymied. “Although 4G is an important feature for handset buyers, there is a lot of confusion surrounding 4G,” In-Stat analyst Greg Potter said in a statement. Read on for more.

Potter continued, “When survey respondents were asked which carrier offered the fastest 4G speeds, the majority of the respondents either didn’t know or felt they were the same across carriers.” A new bill presented to the U.S. Senate earlier this month suggests that wireless carriers should be forced to clarify what kind of speeds their 4G networks afford in marketing and advertising, but it is not expected to be made law.

The survey of 1,208 consumers was part of the In-Stat’s Next-Generation Phones: Consumer Insights Drive Future Handset Designs report, which also found that 36% of consumers plan to stay loyal to their current smartphone operating system compared to just 23% last year. The firm also found that 20% of T-Mobile subscribers plan to switch carriers in the next 12 months.

Sprint and Clearwire are negotiating a network-sharing contract that will last beyond 2012, Bloomberg recently reported, noting a 29% surge in Clearwire’s stock price earlier Wednesday. CEO Dan Hesse explained on a conference call that Sprint could take advantage of Clearwire’s network in an effort to balance traffic on its planned 4G LTE network. While Sprint is “making very good progress on the technical front with Clearwire,” a deal is not yet final or definite. Sprint announced earlier this month that it plans to accelerate its 4G LTE roll-out and will launch its first markets by the middle of next year. The project is expected to be fully completed in 2013. Sprint’s move to LTE had originally suggested that its WiMAX relationship with Clearwire was coming to an end, but it appears that is no longer the case. Like Sprint, Clearwire has also said it will deploy a 4G LTE network if it can find the money. Most recently the carrier was courting AT&T and Verizon in an effort to bring in enough cash for the roll-out, which it expects to cost $600 million.

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Sprint announced on Wednesday that it will launch the HTC EVO Design 4G on October 23rd for $99.99 with a new two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. The EVO Design 4G offers a 1.2GHz processor, a 4-inch qHD display, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video, a 1.3-megapixel camera for video chat, support for Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Additional features of this Sprint world phone include 3G/4G mobile hotspot support for sharing your connection with other Wi-Fi devices, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity and an aluminum unibody design. Read on for the full press release from Sprint.

Sprint Expands Award-Winning HTC EVO Family with HTC EVO Design 4G, First EVO with World Phone Capabilities

HTC EVO Design 4G debuts Oct. 23 for less than $100 – offering high-end 4G capabilities at an easily affordable price

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., & SEATTLE – Oct. 19, 2011 – Sprint (NYSE: S) continues the award-winning HTC EVO™ family legacy with the addition of HTC EVO Design 4G™, the first EVO family member touting World Phone capabilities. HTC EVO Design 4G boasts many of the “must-have” features of its predecessors, including Sprint 4G and a large touchscreen display, while sporting a slim, pocket-friendly aluminum unibody design at an easily affordable price.

HTC EVO Design 4G goes on sale Oct. 23 for just $99.99 (excluding taxes) with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1. It will be available in all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Web Sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1).

“Priced at under $100, HTC EVO Design 4G is the perfect device for consumers looking for both the benefits of 4G and the latest in device style,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president-Product Development. “When matched with one of the Sprint Everything Data plans, our customers will unlock the value of unlimited without worrying about the cost or surprises on their monthly bill.”

Designed for customers who want to stay connected and be entertained, HTC EVO Design 4G combines the acclaimed HTC Sense™ experience with a stylish and robust feature set to make the 4G experience more accessible than ever. Other key features include:

·        Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread
·        HTC Sense – Award-winning user experience taking social networking, navigation and customization to new levels
·        Aluminum unibody design gives the HTC EVO Design 4G a slim, streamlined profile –guaranteed  to get attention and nicely compact in your hand, pocket or bag
·        1.2GHz processor
·        4-inch qHD capacitive touchscreen display
·        Dual cameras: 5MP rear-facing camera/camcorder with flash and HD video recording and 1.3MP front-facing camera for video chat
·        World Phone capabilities to make and receive calls and texts, and to access email and news from locations around the globe
·        3G/4G Mobile Hotspot, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices on the Sprint 3G or 4G network
·        Wi-Fi® b/g/n capable

“With HTC and Sprint working together, the smash-hit HTC EVO 4G introduced the world to the possibilities of 4G,” said Martin Fichter, vice president product management, HTC Americas. “With the introduction of the fifth addition to the EVO family – HTC EVO Design 4G – HTC is expanding its diverse portfolio of 4G smartphones on Sprint’s powerful 4G network.”

HTC EVO Design 4G requires activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $40 per month vs. Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $10 per month vs. Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB Web. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month and supports up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously2. (Pricing excludes taxes and surcharges.)

Sprint was unbeaten among major wireless carriers for customer satisfaction according to results from the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index. In addition to tying for first place among wireless carriers, Sprint was also the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, during the last three years, according to the survey.

Global shipments of smartphones with embedded 4G are expected to grow at a staggering rate over the next five years, reaching 245 million devices in 2016. Market research and intelligence firm ABI Research recently released 4G smartphone shipment projections that show shipments growing at a compound rate of 72% annually over the next five years. Just 4.6 million 4G smartphones shipped worldwide in 2010 according to the firm, but the rapid deployment of LTE networks combined with consumers’ collective need for speed will see that figure increase dramatically moving forward. “Nearly all of the world’s mobile operators, including the largest, are supporting LTE,” ABI Research analyst Michael Morgan said in a statement. “It is an important driver for the LTE ecosystem that dwarfs any other drivers of 4G in general or of WiMAX and LTE, specifically.” ABI’s full press release follows below.

Business and Technology Complications Keep 4G Smartphones to Just 25% of the Volume in Five Years

NEW YORK – October 10, 2011

Shipments of 4G smartphones are expected to grow from 4.6 million in 2010 to 245 million in 2016. LTE smartphone shipments will surpass WiMAX smartphones in 2011 and grow at a 72% CAGR over the forecast period.  Senior mobile devices analyst, Michael Morgan, notes, “Nearly all of the world’s mobile operators, including the largest, are supporting LTE. It is an important driver for the LTE ecosystem that dwarfs any other drivers of 4G in general or of WiMAX and LTE, specifically.”

4G smartphones are emerging as the next major platform opportunity for mobile operators, device OEMs, IC vendors, network equipment vendors, and content companies. Despite the growing number of 4G-capable device segments, smartphones will remain the largest and most important device segment for incumbents and new entrants. Shipment volumes of 4G smartphones will far surpass all other device segments and will greatly affect the design choices and technology paths of products and services looking to cash in on the 4G opportunity.

Initial 4G smartphones are being brought to market to fulfill strong operator demand in spite of numerous technological and business concerns that have yet to be fully addressed. As the 4G device ecosystem charges forward, questions around spectrum allocation and alignment loom over operators and device OEMs seeking to maximize their addressable markets and achieve economies of scale. Despite the superior spectrum alignment and lower component costs of WiMAX technologies, operators are supporting LTE smartphones and hoping that LTE eventually delivers the most robust device ecosystem.

“Mobile operators prefer to support LTE over WiMAX since it makes the most sense strategically to put their weight behind the technology that is best suited to maintaining the status quo among wireless network incumbents,” says Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director, mobile networks.

ABI Research’s new report, “4G Smartphones,” highlights key drivers and barriers faced by market participants in the emerging 4G (LTE & WiMAX) smartphone markets. Regional and country level forecasts demonstrate the potential market value for 4G smartphones and 4G IC vendors.

It is part of ABI Research’s Smartphones and Mobile Devices Research Service.

Sprint announced at its Strategy Update meeting on Friday that it has adjusted its 4G rollout plans in order to deploy the carrier’s new network more rapidly. The carrier will also convert to a single-network architecture, moving away from CDMA and WiMAX as it rolls out its LTE network. Sprint had initially announced a 3-5 year plan for the rollout, and on Friday network operations head Steve Elfman confirmed that Sprint’s 4G LTE network rollout will be largely complete by the end of 2013. Sprint’s 4G LTE network will launch in initial markets in mid-2012, and the carrier is working with Qualcomm to ensure an assortment of devices are available at launch. Sprint also confirmed that it will continue to sell 4G WiMAX devices through 2012.

Sprint announced back in August that it would be hosting a “Strategy Update” meeting today, and the uncommon phrasing set our imaginations aflutter. Will it be about the iPhone? Well, we already know Sprint will carry both the iPhone and iPhone 4S beginning the 14th, but Sprint has been eerily quiet about finally procuring the world’s most popular smartphone so we wouldn’t be surprised to hear more about it today. There’s also a supposed $20 billion deal with Apple that the company inked recently, so perhaps we’ll hear about that. Will Sprint elaborate on its 4G plans? The carrier said in July that it worked out a deal with LightSquared to adopt 4G LTE, but LightSquared is having issues lately and again, Sprint has been awfully quiet lately. We’re just minutes away from getting the skinny straight from the horse’s mouth, so hit the break for our live coverage of Sprint’s press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, and don’t forget to refresh the page for all the latest updates.

9:18AM:Ok guys - we're inside and settled. Tons of analysts here and plenty of familiar faces.

9:21AM:We're told the event will begin in just a few minutes.

9:26AM:The event is scheduled to begin in about five minutes and it's looking like 4G LTE plans will be the star of the show.

9:34AM:VP of investor relations is on the stage. "I want to welcome you to Sprint's network vision strategy update." She is going over cautionary statements and explaining we will be going over forward-looking statements.

9:34AM:Sprint CEO Dan Hesse is taking the stage.

9:36AM:"Thanks for joining us here in New York. We have a good day for you today where we have an opportunity to talk about our Network Vision Plan, which is really our strategy for the evolution of 3G and 4G." The Agenda includes Steve Elfman, Bob Azzi, a Partner Panel with Alcatel-Lucent and Samsung, Fared Adib (Devices), Joe Euteneuer (financial ramifications and benefits), and then we will enter a Q&A session.

9:37AM:"A company is like a person and you can try to pretend to be something on the outside if you are different on the inside." Simplicity costs less. Take a look at what we've done over the last few years. We started with Simply Everything and now we're maintaining the only unlimited position. Customers like simplicity."

9:38AM:"Sprint has seen improvements in customer care over the past 14 quarters. Running two networks is complicated, what you'll see today, is a simpler network."

9:39AM:There is a significant financial value that comes with a good brand. Brand is the key to gross ads and our business is all about subscribers.

9:41AM:Customer experience: Sprint is the most improved wireless company in customer satisfaction over the last three years.

9:43AM:In 2010 Sprint's reputation improved more than any company in the world. Hesse is referencing data from the Reputation Institute.

9:43AM:Total subscribers were down for 11 consecutive quarters and now they have increased for five consecutive quarters. "We're on our way back," Hesse said.

9:44AM:"Churn improved every single year but the problem was a decline in gross adds. That was a brand problem."

9:45AM:"Sprint is the only company that improved postpaid churn every year."

9:46AM:"The biggest decline, sequentially for us, was 2006 and 2005. 2009 and 2010 we were the only company to improve our net add performance year over year."

9:48AM:"Cash is #3 of the key priorities," Joe will talk more about cash when he takes the stage. "Our margins are still well below the benchmark margins of our two biggest competitors, AT&T and Verizon. We're running two networks with less volume. Our competitors are running one. That's the focus of today's discussion, and churn. Improvements in churn is the quickest, fastest and most significant way to improve the bottom line."

9:48AM:"Churn is customers leaving you. Brand is how you attract new ones."

9:49AM:"How do we take both of these to the next level? The iPhone."

9:49AM:Churn was due to a lack of having the iPhone in the past.

9:50AM:Hesse has mentioned several times, "we're running two networks and our competitors are each running one." He then follows the comment up each time with, "we're going to discuss that today." Things aren't looking good for WiMAX right now...

9:50AM:"This will be one of our most profitable devices." (The iPhone).

9:51AM:The three important aspects are brand, people , and network. In Q4 Sprint announced plans to retain its iDEN network and it announced a partnership with Clearwire. In Q1 2009 it launched Boost Unlimited on its iDEN network.

9:51AM:"This bought us time to come up with an elegant and technical solution to move to one network and we're going to talk about that today."

9:51AM:Launching prepaid services on Sprint's iDEN network has generated $5 billion in revenue.

9:52AM:In Q4 2010 we announced Network Vision with five pillars: customer experience, reduce costs, utilization of assets, flexibility, sustainability.

9:55AM:"Why October 7th? Not to celebrate how things are going in baseball. We want to be at a point where Network Vision was no longer slideware. We have network infrastructure partners here. We want to show the network is working and the handsets are working. We want to talk about the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S because they have important usage characteristics that are different than other high selling smartphones. We could not talk about those products before this week. So, without further ado, I will turn it over to Steve Elfman - president network operations and wholesale."

9:55AM:Sprint will be announcing the "aggressive rollout of LTE" here today, Elfman said.

9:56AM:Improving the performance and coverage for our customers is one way to reduce churn and gain customers

9:58AM:"Technology flexbility" we wanted something we could put CDMA, LTE in the future, and think of ideas to use flexibility for scale. We also wanted to eliminate the iDEN network. We plan to get our customers migrated by 2013 and we started that this year and made a lot of great progress. Two key attributes of Network Vision break into two sides: multinode network platform, and integrated chipsets to power the devices to work with multiple spectrums and multiple techologies."

9:58AM:We're looking at a slide of how the multimode technology can lessen the hardware footprint. "A lot less utility requirement, less footprint, less maintenance and less cost."

9:59AM:At the top of the tower in the same radio we'll have 1.9 LTE, 1.9 CDMA, 800 CDMA and in the future 800 LTE. With LightSquared we'll have 1600 LTE.

10:00AM:Sprint is in a unique position to offer hosting solutions and spectrum wholesale to companies like LightSquared.

10:01AM:It's an open network architecture allowing us to get scale and host spectrum.

10:02AM:The LTE deployment is going to be rapid. The first markets will be launching in mid- 2012 and will be largely complete by the end of 2013. Our originaly 3-5 year plan is more like a 2-3 year plan. Our devices will be available for the launch of these markets in mid 2012. Working with Qualcomm. Still committed to WiMAX and will be selling WiMAX devices through 2012.

10:02AM:"Pending the FCC approval with LightSquared we will be using 1.6 spectrum for hosted LTE."

10:03AM:"We have been working very hard the last year with various content partners and application developers." This quarter is the initial roll-out of Wi-Fi offloading technology.

10:04AM:We can take about 20% off of our network through these kind of capabilities.

10:05AM:"We believe we can handle the demand of the announcement that was made earlier this week with the iPhone by both our proactive work in optimizing the content and offloading but also with more efficient devices. The iPhone is a very efficient use of our network. Also the improvements other OEMs are making in their devices."

10:06AM:"The benefits include reduced roaming costs, consolidated networks and site reduction, reduced operating costs and more efficient use of CapEx (50% reduction in cost/GB and a 50% reduction in cost/minute."

10:06AM:We're in the 60,000 cell sites now and we'd like to be around 40,000.

10:07AM:"We're extremely excited about network vision, this has been a big year trying to make this all work. Now we are getting into the rhythm of the build and expect by mid-year to make this an absolute reality for our customers."

10:07AM:Bob Azzi, senior vice president of Sprint's network is now on stage.

10:08AM:He's going to discuss the "nuts and bolts" of the program. That includes how customers will have an improved experience.

10:09AM:Today we have iDEN, the CDMA network (3G business) and then with Clearwire our WiMAX 4G network. Tomorrow, meaning starting very soon in 2012 and 2013, this will be consolidated into a single network platform. The 4G LTE capability will be built on a single architecture along with improvements in 3G capabilities. Sprint direct connect will ride on this as well as LightSquared, after approved by FCC. A single, flexible platform.

10:10AM:We have to test the tech in the lab and in the field. We're in the field testing stage. We are testing 4G LTE test calls. We are testing core elements to ensure they are performing as expected. We have hit every single milestone with the performance tests.

10:11AM:We have started work on 22,000 cell sites. The balance will be started in the next few months.

10:12AM:We see no hurdles and we've negotiated win-win deals for us and the tower company supporting players we have. We are prepared for all new device launches including the iPhone. We have been building in the expected impact of the iPhone for quite a few months. We are well prepared to take the expected growth.

10:13AM:"When you sum it all up, we have made a lot of progress since December. Most all the technical risks are behind us. Another proof point of that are these pictures." We see images of products from Samsung, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson. The multimode 3G and 4G base stations are going into the network as we speak.

10:14AM:Sprint expects a 20% reduction in green house gas emissions by 2015.

10:14AM:We expect to see iDEN like performance from our CDMA PTT Direct Connect Network, which launched on October 2nd.

10:15AM:Migrations expected to accelerate and the planned conclusion is to occur by mid 2013.

10:15AM:Because it's based on a CDMA tech we can expand the coverage from 900,000 square miles to extend it to other CDMA networks, roam with it, and expand it to 3x the square miles across the country.

10:17AM:Migration from iDEN to CDMA to be completed by mid-2013*

10:18AM:Expected benefits for 3G customers include better signal strength, faster data speeds, better in-building performance, expanded coverage and commitment to long-term 3G. Sprint will also put 3G voice on the 1800 (?) spectrum (pending FCC approval).

10:19AM:In NYC we have about 1,100 cell sites around the area. It's not as simple as pushing a switch to transition. In order to manage the transition and avoid disruption, we'll turn up the network in clusters. Block by block, borough by borough type of upgrade.

10:19AM:All customers will get partial to full benefits. After a period of a few months, we'll have upgraded the entire markets.

10:20AM:This investment is important to us and our customers.

10:22AM:Customers will see a "viral type of improvement" in 3G coverage during the network rollout process.

10:23AM:Sprint's 4G LTE network will be faster than its WiMAX network.

10:24AM:Sprint is taking extra care to ensure that the hand-off from 3G to 4G is seamless. Everywhere Sprint has 3G coverage, it will also have 4G coverage.

10:24AM:In fact, coverage in many areas will improve dramatically once 4G LTE replaces 3G service.

10:24AM:

10:26AM:Network Vision means that all future upgrades can be done via card plugins. This makes the rollout much, much simpler.

10:27AM:Sprint has three key partners involved with the infrastructure side of its 4G LTE plans: Samsung, Alcatel Lucent and Ericsson.

10:28AM:Executives from all three companies are on stage for a bit of a panel discussing their partnerships with Sprint and reassuring that they will meet time frames and expectations for the roll-outs.

10:31AM:Sprint's partners are each discussing successful deployments in their history

10:35AM:Samsung is discussing how it has long term investment in LTE standards and has a lot of involvement in the design of technology. It also launched the first commercial network in the U.S. last year as well as the first LTE network. "We've also added four new LTE networks around the world in Asia and in the Middle East in 2011. We have a number more poised for introduction in 2012."

10:36AM:Multimode products allow for: flexibility allowing you to deploy whatever frequency band and whatever tech you need. It provides performance gains in roaming reduction and signal on the street and in building. Finally, the cost point. It's a brand new architecture for driving your cost to serve to a new industry low. It offers economic benefits to Sprint.

10:38AM:It's time for a 20 minute break.

10:45AM:We'll be resuming in 15 minutes.

11:00AM:Fared Adib, vice president of product development is taking the stage now. "Everyone having fun yet? You all look so happy."

11:01AM:"I'm not going to divulge any new products that we're going to be launching. This is going to be very disappointing. But I will talk about what the device strategy means." Bummer.

11:01AM:"For the first time I can answer the question: when are you going to get the iPhone." Funny.

11:02AM:A lot of customers dont know the difference between network technologies and it doesnt mean much to them. If you look at the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch, a lot of the technology is sometimes lost on us and the customers. There are 2000 individual parts that go into making the product. One of those is the radio, and to be specific, there are 5 radios in it today. The amount of complexity that we deliver to the marketplace today is quite outstanding.

11:03AM:Farid is going to cover LTE and what it means for the device ecosystem, network vision progress in terms of devices, economics of scale with LTE, the LTE device roadmap (although he said he won't reveal any new products today) as well as Sprint's relationships around the globe.

11:05AM:"We are very excited about the LTE products that we'll deliver during the second half of this year. You'll see broader coverage, increased capacity, improved push to talk, improved voice quality and data speeds."

11:05AM:LTE is the global standard for 4G when it comes to the future. There are 237 operators in 85 countries investing in LTE.

11:06AM:We've had our 1,900MHz spectrum approved by LTE standards for deployment. There are a lot of different bands that play into LTE. In fact, LTE for the first time will be the most consolidated view you'll get around a radio technology and ecosystem that will be global in deployment. You'll also see it will rival what you're seeing in GSM and CDMA today. Hopefully it will be a unifying element in a lot of different carriers.

11:07AM:We will support band class 10 for CDMA voice. We have several products that already support this so those customers are future-proofed.

11:07AM:We've launched Direct Connect products with Kyocera and we will launch a smartphone from Motorola by the end of the quarter. (CDMA Direct Connect).

11:09AM:From an LTE roadmap standpoint, every OEM we have is going to be moving to LTE or is already in that space, so it makes us easier to adopt those products. Samsung, LG, HTC and Motorola. We are looking at all of the things that come with LTE that are still being developed and we are evaluating what that means to the handset. Examples include HD voice for a richer voice experience. We are also looking at other advancements that have not yet been solidified.

11:10AM:What costs more? LTE or WiMAX? Typically there's a cost curve with any new technology. As we roll out LTE we're catching it at the right cost curve with second and third generation LTE radios such as Qualcomm's 8960. It's not only an application processor but it supports multiple bands for multiple carriers, including our 1900MHz band A-F and G. It's at a time when we're seeing the cost curve crossing over what we see from 3rd and 4th generation WiMAX chips.

11:12AM:Displays, processors also add to the costs. But, you will see we'll be able to do with LTE with what we've done with WiMAX today. Products at all price points based on chipsets and technologies. We've continued to ride the cost curves of the WiMAX radio and the cost curves around that. WiMAX continues to be an important part of our product strategy and we will continue to provide products to our customers. We don't want to over simplify how customers make decisions and will provide them multiple products with multiple technologies.

11:13AM:We will deliver dual-mode CDMA/LTE products by the first half of 2012 (handsets specifically!). Tablets as well, smartphones, high-tier iconic devices and mid-tier products. We're very excited about all of the partners in the ecosystem we'll be able to attract.

11:14AM:15 devices will be coming in 2012 including tablets, smartphones and data cards. These will be on par with the same quality you've seen us deliver to date.

11:15AM:Network Vision will make push-to-talk more ubiquitous. Broader coverage for iDEN footprint, better product offering including smartphones, rugged devices, and a downloadable Sprint Direct Connect app for Android devices.

11:16AM:One of the things we'll be able to do for the first time by the end of this year is provide an app for push-to-talk for casual usage. It will be available for a lot larger base of customers than what you see today.

11:17AM:"We can expand that to "Push to X" to integrate the services into other services such as Facebook, rich messaging, the address book within the phone." Sounds like you'll be able to talk to different apps and services, but Sprint wasn't very clear on what Push to X meant.

11:18AM:Qualcomm's EVP and Group President QCT Stephen Mollenkopf is going to take the stage now to give a testimonial as a partner with Sprint on the handset space.

11:19AM:We're seeing a video of his speech. he's discussing how Qualcomm has worked with Sprint on its transition and how it's working on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors with 3G and LTE capabilities for Sprint. "We believe Sprint's vision will be highly successful. We continue to work together to be on the forefront of wireless technologies."

11:22AM:Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility is speaking in a brief video clip. He's discussing the Motorola Photon 4G and other Motorola 4G WiMAX devices. He said he's looking forward to launching the first push-to-talk CDMA device (smartphone, since Kyocera already has a basic phone) later this year. He has made a significant investment in LTE and looks forward to delivering devices in the future.

11:23AM:"Without all of these different partners really investing in the R&D it takes to deliver these products to market, a lot of this wouldn't be possible. It requires a lot of technology to cram in all the support whether it's the CDMA tech, WiMAX or LTE tech. It's a serious investment for all of these companies to say they will come out and support our strategy."

11:23AM:Joe Euteneuer, Sprint's CFO is taking the stage.

11:27AM:Sprint thinks the iPhone launch will help level the playing field with its largest competitors. Sprint can finally answer "yes" when customers ask if it carries the iPhone in shops.

11:27AM:Sprint is continuing to explore additional spectrum opportunities as it moves forward.

11:29AM:Network Vision is about investing in growth technology to drive overall subscriber growth. Sprint Direct Connect, enhanced 3G and 4G LTE. We've been criticized for underspending, but this isn't true. We did not need to make the additional investment after rolling out 3G. We invested in 4G with Clearwire. We would have spent that money anyway but we wanted to be first to market with 4G.

11:30AM:Sprint's capital spend is in-line with the industry.

11:32AM:An integral part of Sprint Vision is the 10-11B estimated savings over the next few years through 2017. The savings come from rolling out 4G LTE on Sprint's own spectrum and the modernization of its 3G network. That drives about $7 billion of financial benefit. $4 billion in savings from having to no longer maintain the iDEN network.

11:34AM:We're going over some in-depth financial details and we're working on posting images.

11:35AM:"We have a big advantage with our unlimited plans. Now we can exceed our expectations."

11:36AM:We are now solidly reporting subscriber growth in our over retail net adds.

11:36AM:We see continued momentum and postpaid adds.

11:41AM:(That last slide does not include impact from the iPhone ^ze)

11:42AM:Q&A will beginning now.

11:43AM:Sorry, Q&A is starting now.

11:43AM:Sprint's management team is taking the stage.

11:44AM:"To Joe: I'd be lying if I said I followed along with what was going on in those slides. It's unclear to me what the iPhone impact," is.

11:44AM:"The iPhone will provide better subscriber growth and churn."

11:48AM:Everyone's on stage now and fielding questions. We'll cover anything big but it looks like we're pretty much done here.

11:51AM:Dan was asked what happens with Clearwire moving forward: We will continue to sell additional WiMAX devices through the end of 2012. Supporting, one could expect, to be much longer than that.

11:52AM:"We have nothing beyond 2012 to announce with regard to Clearwire," Dan Hesse said.

11:55AM:Question for Dan: There was a rumor that you made a significant financial investment with regard to the iPhone (20 billion, according to the WSJ). True? Dan: No comment. (duh)

12:04PM:Question: What is your commitment to Android, now that you've made this bet with Apple? "We want to be very clear. Although we're very excited about our announcement with Apple. We're not just going to forget our other partners. Android is just as popular, if not growing faster around the world." Those partnerships don't go away, we continue to sell products that fill a whole portfolio of needs. We're good partners with all of those partners.

12:05PM:Ok guys thank you for joining us today, the Q&A session is wrapping up in just a few minutes.