Sprint gains Network Advantage: Innovative network services deal with Ericsson delivers competitive edge

NOTE:  Sprint and Ericsson will host a conference call for financial
and industry analysts and press on Thursday, July 9 at 1:30 p.m. EDT
(12:30 p.m. CDT / 19:30 CET).


Ericsson's world-class, day-to-day network services expertise allows
    Sprint to focus on delivering a superior customer experience,
             innovative services and popular new devices

      Sprint retains full ownership and control of its networks
          while continuing to drive all strategic decisions

Sprint (NYSE:S) is breaking away from competitors today with a unique
wireless and wireline network services agreement with global leader
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC).

The seven-year agreement, matching Sprint's telecommunications
leadership with Ericsson, enables Sprint and its millions of
customers to enjoy a network services model that is proven successful
worldwide and praised by business experts and communications
analysts, as an operational best practice for network operators.

Sprint's Steve Elfman, President of Network Operations and Wholesale,
believes the historic deal, titled "Network Advantage," catapults the
company to elite status in wireless and wireline network
effectiveness.

"No other U.S.-based carrier has followed through on the
business-enhancing vision inherent in Network Advantage. Our
best-ever network performance will become even better by leveraging
Ericsson's world-class leadership in network services, their
proprietary tools, and the knowledge of more than 30,000 dedicated
and highly-specialized service professionals to power Sprint's Now
Network," said Elfman.

The move delivers operational efficiencies for Sprint while further
expanding Ericsson's network services business in North America. The
agreement, with an option for renewal, will result in payments for
services valued at between $4.5 billion and $5 billion (USD) over the
seven-year term of the contract. The transaction calls for about
6,000 Sprint employees to begin performing their network functions as
Ericsson employees sometime in the 3rd quarter.

Key elements of Network Advantage are:

*          Sprint retains full ownership and control of its network
  assets, and solely owns network strategy and investment decisions.

*          Customers will continue to work directly with Sprint
  employees as their primary contact, as Sprint retains full control
  of the customer experience, customer technical support and services
  review.

*          Sprint retains technology and vendor selections.

*          Ericsson assumes responsibility for the day-to-day
  services, provisioning and maintenance for the Sprint-owned CDMA,
  iDEN and wireline networks.

*          Ericsson will optimize Sprint's multi-vendor inventory of
  assets such as spare parts and transmission equipment, and provide
  processes and tools for managing the national network platforms and
  operational support systems.

*          The transferred employees will become part of Ericsson
  Services Inc., a wholly-owned Ericsson subsidiary based in Overland
  Park, KS, a move that retains jobs in the United States. No force
  reductions are currently contemplated as a result of this
  agreement.


"Ericsson is excited about the opportunity to expand our successful
business model to the U.S. allowing Sprint to operate more
efficiently while focusing even more on its customers," said Angel
Ruiz, head of Ericsson's North American operations. "Managed Services
has been successful throughout the world. Measures that provide
operators with reduced cost and improved efficiency have become
increasingly valid and attractive. This shows that the trend of
full-scope Managed Services with tier-one global operators is now
happening in the U.S. We're looking forward to the skill and
competence that the Sprint employees will bring to Ericsson."

Elfman added, "Taking advantage of Ericsson's global expertise to
operate the tactical functions of our networks will greatly enhance
Sprint's business. Beyond the obvious network advancements, we're now
positioned to eclipse the competition by concentrating on our legacy
of innovation - whether it's revolutionizing the customer experience
as we've done with Ready Now and our value plans, or delivering
iconic, highly-sought-after products like Sprint Mobile Broadband
Cards, the Palm® Pre(TM) and MiFi(TM). Further, our network powers
Sprint's one-of-a-kind wireline and wireless assets, such as our
award-wining Unified Communications enablement, a robust integration
of converged solutions that delivers unparalleled business mobility."

Sprint expects to immediately benefit from Ericsson's leadership and
best-in-class economies of scale in network services. Ericsson was
the pioneer with leading global carriers in Europe as well as
AsiaPacific and Latin America (full reference list) for this type of
partnership and has more than 15 years' experience in the field with
hundreds of carrier contracts. Ericsson today manages networks that
together serve more than 275 million subscribers worldwide.
Additionally, more than 40 percent of all mobile traffic goes through
Ericsson's networks. Its investments in best practices and tools will
enhance Sprint's business and bring scale and efficiency that will
impact Sprint beyond what it could achieve as a stand-alone carrier.

Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the securities laws. The statements in this news release
regarding network performance and capabilities, business and network
efficiencies, new products and services, and the business outlook and
performance, as well as other statements that are not historical
facts, are forward-looking statements. The words "estimate,"
"project," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "believe," "target,"
"providing guidance" and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are estimates
and projections reflecting management's judgment based on currently
available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
suggested by the forward-looking statements. With respect to these
forward-looking statements, management has made assumptions
regarding, among other things, customer and network usage; customer
growth and retention; pricing; development, deployment and operating
costs; availability of devices; the timing of various events and the
economic environment.
Sprint Nextel believes these forward-looking statements are
reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations
and speak only as of the date of this release. Sprint Nextel is not
obligated to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking
statements to reflect events after the date of this release. Sprint
Nextel provides a detailed discussion of risk factors in periodic SEC
filings, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2008 in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors."

About Ericsson
Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services
to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile
technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion
subscribers and has a leading position in Managed Services. The
company's portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network
infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia
solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony
Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with
feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision "to be the prime driver in an
all-communicating world" through innovation, technology, and
sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than
75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2
billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm,
Sweden, Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ New
York.

www.ericsson.com
www.ericsson.mobi
www.twitter.com/ericssonpress

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 is widely
recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative
technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 49
million customers at the end of the first quarter 2009;
industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and
international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet
backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Sprint Media Relations
James Fisher
Phone: 703-433-8677
E-mail: James.W.Fisher@Sprint.com

Sprint Investor Relations
Yijing Brentano
Phone:  800-259-3755
Investor.relations@sprint.com

Ericsson Media Relations (USA)
Kathy Egan
Phone: +1 212-843-8422
E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

Ericsson Investor Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 00 00
E-mail: investor.relations@ericsson.com

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| Ericsson discloses the information provided herein pursuant to    |
| the Securities                                                    |
| Markets Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The     |
| information                                                       |
| was submitted for publication at on July, 9 at 17:35 CET.         |
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