Sprint Introduces Motorola Clutch i465, a Tough, Affordable Nextel Direct Connect Device with a Full QWERTY Keyboard for Mobile Messaging

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sprint (NYSE:S) today announced Motorola Clutch^TM i465 will be available this summer, in all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint stores, www.sprint.com/nexteldirectconnect and 1-800-Nextel-9 for $39.99 with a new two-year service agreement, $20 instant rebate and $50 mail-in rebate (excluding taxes).

Customers can register for more information about availability for Motorola Clutch i465 at www.sprint.com/clutch.

Motorola Clutch i465, fueled by the Nextel National Network, is a rugged device in a slender candy bar form factor, and the first Nextel Direct Connect messaging-centric device that brings the strength of a full QWERTY keyboard to the iDEN line. Motorola Clutch i465 also offers Group Messaging, which lets customers create groups of up to 20 people to send messages to at the same time.

"Sprint Nextel Direct Connect customers are used to the immediate communications offered by push-to-talk devices, but Motorola Clutch i465 with a QWERTY keyboard gives those customers a better way to instantly communicate with friends, family and colleagues," said Danny Bowman, president of Sprint's iDEN Business Unit. "By combining Nextel Direct Connect with text messaging, Sprint customers have two of the most efficient ways to get business done wirelessly."

According to a study commissioned by Sprint, the number of texters in the 50-64 year-old range has grown by more than 50 percent since 2006, mostly driven by parents who have adopted texting to stay connected to their children. In that demographic, 75 percent of text messages are sent to the user's children. People under 30 are four times more likely to respond within a few minutes to a text than to voicemail.¹

"Motorola Clutch was designed to give serious texters and talkers multiple ways to get the word out," said Rick Gadd, vice president, Motorola Mobile Devices. "With a full QWERTY keyboard featuring shortcut keys, IM-style texting and push-to-talk technology which works like a verbal IM, Sprint customers are able to keep in constant contact, no matter how they prefer to communicate."

Motorola Clutch i465 is an attractive utility device that meets Military Specification 810F for low pressure, high and low temperatures, dust, shock, vibration and solar radiation. It is also Java-enabled, comes with a digital still and video camera, and supports GPS, Bluetooth and third-party applications.

"During these cost-cutting times, Motorola Clutch i465 is a dependable and durable handset perfect for those who require a messaging handset at a good price," Bowman said. "Nextel Direct Connect customers recognize the value of instant communications in the form of push-to-talk offers, and mobile messaging extends the ability of our customers to reach the people they need to when time matters most."

Nextel Direct Connect services help families and friends stay connected and they are often depended upon by businesses and first responders who need to get things done fast, and includes one-to-one push-to-talk communication in less than one second with millions of other Nextel Direct Connect subscribers, available nationwide from coast-to-coast. With more than 16 years of expertise, Sprint is the undisputed leader in push-to-talk services. Nextel Direct Connect has set the industry standard for push-to-talk worldwide, and serves the world's largest push-to-talk community with millions of Nextel Direct Connect subscribers on the fastest national push-to-talk network.

With Nextel Direct Connect Custom Plans, the focus is on the key services used most by workgroups, which are bundled with unlimited usage, at a low flat monthly rate. Specifically, businesses can choose from the following Nextel Direct Connect Custom Plans:

• Unlimited Workgroup Communications - with unlimited Direct Connect and Group Connect plus unlimited text messaging, mobile-to-mobile minutes and night and weekend minutes starting at 9 p.m.
  • $29.99 per month per line (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
• Web & Navigation - includes the above features, plus unlimited data, Web browsing and GPS navigation
  • $39.99 per month per line for Nextel phones (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
  • $49.99 per month per line for PowerSource and Nextel Direct Connect capable Sprint phones (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
• Pooled voice minutes can be added to either plan for the group to share
  • 500 minutes for $30 per month per line (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)
  • Or 2,000 minutes for $100 per month per line (excluding taxes and Sprint surcharges)

For more details on the Nextel Direct Custom plans, visit www.sprint.com/nexteldirectconnect.

Additionally, Sprint offers affordable Everything Messaging plans that let customers - particularly the growing numbers who are new to texting - take advantage of the Motorola Clutch i465 messaging features at a great value. These plans start at just $49.99 per month for 450 anytime minutes and include unlimited Nextel Direct Connect, unlimited night and weekend minutes starting at 7 p.m., unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, plus unlimited text and picture messaging (excludes taxes and Sprint surcharges). This plan provides a savings of $180 (savings based on additional $5 per month charge for push-to-talk service from AT&T and Verizon) per year vs. comparable AT&T and Verizon plans.²

Everything Data plans are also a great value, starting at just $69.99 per month for 450 minutes of talk time, unlimited Direct Connect and unlimited data, including texting, email, Web browsing and GPS. Unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling to other Sprint customers and free nights & weekends starting at 7 p.m. are also included in these affordable plans (excludes taxes and Sprint surcharges).

Families can also take advantage of unlimited messaging on Motorola Clutch i465 with Sprint's Everything Messaging Family plans. At an annual savings of $240 vs. comparable Verizon and AT&T plans, these plans start at $99.99 per month, allowing two customers to share 1,500 minutes, including free nights starting at 7 p.m. and weekends, unlimited texting and picture sharing. Unlimited Nextel Direct Connect can be added for only $5 per line per month (excludes taxes and Sprint surcharges).³

For customers who need unlimited voice, messaging, Nextel Direct Connect and data, including email, Web browsing, social networking and GPS navigation, Sprint offers the Simply Everything^SM plan for just $99.99. That's a savings of more than $1,200 over two years vs. AT&T's comparable plan for the iPhone.⁴

About Nextel Direct Connect

With more than 15 years of expertise, Sprint is the undisputed leader in push-to-talk with the largest community of users in the world. Nextel Direct Connect has set the industry standard for push-to-talk and serves millions of Nextel Direct Connect subscribers on the fastest national push-to-talk network.

Nextel Direct Connect is the only push-to-talk product in the industry that offers:

• Industry-leading performance with the advantage of instant connection (call set-up times of less than one second)
• Connection to the world's largest community of users, with millions of existing Nextel Direct Connect subscribers
• Nationwide and international push-to-talk services
• The largest portfolio of push-to-talk phones, including the largest selection of rugged phones
• Integrated business solutions, including the largest selection of GPS-solutions

For more information about Nextel Direct Connect, visit www.sprint.com/nexteldirectconnect.

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 of 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.

¹ Sprint Oct. 2008 telephone survey of 2,010 people.

² Savings based on 450-minute options for Verizon Nationwide Select with Unlimited Push to Talk and AT&T Nation Talk & Text with Push to Talk Unlimited plans, based on published rate plans available on publication date.

³ Savings based on 1,500-minute option for two customers on AT&T FamilyTalk Talk & Text plan with Push to Talk Unlimited and Verizon Nationwide Select Family Share Plan with Unlimited Push to Talk, based on published rate plans available on publication date.

⁴ Savings based on publicly available information on base service plan and options rate totaling $149.99/month for AT&T as of publication date, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees.

Sprint
Mark Elliott, 248-981-3825
mark.j.elliott@sprint.com
or
Motorola, Inc.
Juli Burda, 847-523-5035
Juli.Burda@motorola.com

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