Sprint has finalized multiyear wireless services infrastructure build-out agreements totaling approximately $3 billion with Lucent, Motorola and Nortel. Sprint expects to spend about $1 billion of the $3 billion investment total to upgrade its network to EV-DO. The contracts involve new switching and radio hardware and software for cell sites, capacity augmentation, and Sprint's EV-DO (Evolution, Data Optimized) wireless high-speed data network deployment. The contracts also include future 1xEV technology upgrade options.
Sprint said the investment will expand and strengthen its network coverage, enable new services and support continued customer growth.
Sprint's wireless infrastructure build-outs in the United States are divided among three vendors:
- Lucent Technologies received a three-year contract to enhance Sprint's nationwide 3G network, including CDMA2000 1xEV-DO technology. It will upgrade Sprint's existing Lucent-supplied base
stations with an additional RF carrier where needed and provide key elements of its IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) solution. - Motorola received an extension to the end of 2006 of its existing CDMA infrastructure supply agreement, involving CDMA2000 1x base station equipment and related services as well as Motorola's mobile broadband CDMA2000 1xEV-DO solution in markets served by CDMA 1X infrastructure.
- Nortel Networks received a three-year contract to provide CDMA2000 1X radio base stations, base station controllers, switching platforms and other related equipment across Sprint's existing Nortel footprint. Nortel will also supply Sprint with the new Nortel PDSN (Packet Data Service Node) 16000. Nortel will also provide CDMA2000 1xEV-DO equipment in several key markets.
- In June 2004, Sprint announced its plan to provide next-generation EV-DO wireless service at peak data rates of up to 2.4 Mbps to major U.S. metro areas during 2005.
