Sprint Nextel signed data-roaming deals with BCE's Bell Canada and Mexico's Grupo Iusacell, as part of the company's "aggressive" expansion of international services.
Reston, Va.-based Sprint said under the reciprocal wireless-service agreements, customers will be able to access email, Internet and corporate applications in Canada and Mexico using personal communications sytems, or PCS, phones; smart devices and mobile broadband cards.
Sprint said the move is designed to facilitate data access for U.S. customers in Canada and Mexico by augmenting CDMA voice-roaming agreements with a data-roaming capability. Roaming refers to the sharing of wireless traffic on different networks.
The company plans to complete additional international deals throughout 2006 and in the future.
Sprint, which said it has the largest mobile broadband network in the USA, recently signed a new 10-year domestic roaming deal with Alltel.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission cleared Sprint's proposed purchase of shares outstanding in the company's largest affiliate, Nextel Partners.
Sprint Nextel's shares closed Tuesday up 19 cents at $20.26, after hitting a 52-week low of $19.33 earlier in the session. The stock reached a 52-week high of $24.40 on April 11.
-Tom Rojas; 201-938-5400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires "
Posted to the site on 21st June 2006
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/17915.php