Sprint's 4G service is taking a turn for the wholesale -- the company announced this week that it will be offering up some 4G-packing products to resellers. The list of available products includes the EVO Shift-esque HTC Detail and a data card from Sierra Wireless. More products are expected in the coming months. The model is not a new one for Sprint -- the company already offers rebrandable 3G products for companies. At present, Sprint's 4G coverage is available in 71 markets across the US. More info in the press release below.
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Another Industry First: Sprint Becomes First U.S. Wireless Carrier to Make 4G Available to Wholesale Customers
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 02, 2011 - Sprint [NYSE: S] is now enabling Wholesale customers with the power of faster download speeds and more bandwidth by providing them with access to America's Favorite 4G Network.1 Sprint is the only national wireless carrier to provide a Wholesale 4G offering. Available immediately for Sprint's Wholesale customers are the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card and HTC Detail 3G/4G handset, which has the same feature set as HTC EVO ShiftTM 4G, a member of the award-winning EVO family of devices. Sprint's 3G/4G Wholesale roadmap includes additional handsets, data cards, hotspot devices and a fixed access alternative to be introduced in the coming months.
"Customers looking for a large and established 4G ecosystem should consider Sprint, as we offer access to more than 120 ecosystem partners, including chipset vendors, device and equipment manufacturers, applications developers, machine-to-machine solutions providers and more," said Matt Carter, president Sprint Wholesale Solutions and New Ventures. "With Sprint 4G, the possibilities for our customers are endless. 4G is another fine example of the complete solutions we offer to help our customers harness their full potential."
As businesses increasingly demand an in-the-office experience on the go, 4G is the best solution to answer that demand. Wholesale customers now having access to this technology means they can respond confidently to the demands of their small and medium sized business customers. Mitel is a Sprint Wholesale customer that has already deployed a 4G solution.
"Mitel was an early adopter of Sprint's Wholesale 4G offering when we added the Sierra Wireless 250U 3G/4G data card to our product mix in fall 2010. We pride ourselves on delivering the Mitel difference, by providing our customers with the products and services that are hot in the market now," says Jon Brinton, president of Mitel NetSolutions. "By adding 4G to our NetSolutions platform, and offering a mobile service that provides 4G speeds, we are bringing the leading edge of wireless technology solutions to our mobility customers."
Wholesale customers can take advantage of Sprint's leadership position with 4G devices, as the company has launched or announced two dozen 4G-capable devices since introducing 4G in 2008. Sprint made 4G a reality for customers in markets across the country when it was the first U.S. wireless carrier to launch a 3G/4G AndroidTM-powered smartphone, the award-winning HTC EVOTM 4G in June 2010. Sprint has built on its phone leadership by adding critically acclaimed 4G handsets from HTC, Motorola and Samsung to its industry-leading 4G device portfolio. Sprint 4G offers average download speeds between 3-6 Mbps, with bursts of over 10 Mbps.
Sprint 4G is available today in 71 markets across the United States, including but not limited to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. operated over the Clearwire 4G network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
4G joins other recent Wholesale product releases like: Wholesale Mobile Integration, a unified communication solution that seamlessly integrates desk and wireless phones; Partner Interexchange Network, allowing customers to interconnect on-net yielding cheaper connectivity rates; and Mobile Broadband on Demand, enabling end-users to purchase prepaid broadband by the day, week or month. Go to http://sprint.com/wholesale to view the complete product portfolio, customer testimonials and white paper downloads.
