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More Than 70 Million Verizon Wireless and Sprint Customers Can Now Exchange Picture and Video Messages

Posted on: Monday, 25 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

BEDMINSTER, N.J., and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move that allows more than 70 million wireless customers to exchange picture and video messages with one another directly from their wireless camera phones, Verizon Wireless and Sprint today announced an inter- carrier Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) agreement between the two companies.

Pierre Barbeau, general manager of Picture Mail for Sprint, noted: "All carriers in the wireless industry are moving towards picture-sharing interoperability because it will allow usage to grow, just as it did for SMS text messaging. Interoperability also makes it easier for customers to stay in touch with their family and friends, no matter which wireless provider they choose."

Mobile 365 will provide the interoperability service for Verizon Wireless customers and VeriSign will provide the service for Sprint customers. Mobile 365 and VeriSign support the CDMA2000 1X network standard used by the two carriers.

Jim Straight, vice president of wireless, Internet and multimedia for Verizon Wireless, said: "Inter-carrier text messaging has proliferated in the marketplace since it was introduced a few years ago and we believe multimedia messaging between customers on different wireless networks has the same potential. Our customers across the country have embraced picture messaging, and now they can enjoy sending and receiving multimedia messages with Sprint's wireless customers."

Sprint customers can exchange multimedia messages with Verizon Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile USA and Bell Mobility customers. Verizon Wireless customers can exchange multimedia messages with customers of Sprint, Cingular Wireless, Leap Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

Both Verizon Wireless and Sprint support a wide selection of picture messaging-capable phones. For a complete list of phones, pricing and additional information, please visit the companies' respective Web sites: http://www.verizonwireless.com/ and http://www.sprint.com/.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com/. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Sprint

Sprint offers an extensive range of innovative communication products and solutions, including global IP, wireless, local and multiproduct bundles. A Fortune 100 company with more than $27 billion in annual revenues in 2004, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network; an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone; and one of the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide wireless networks in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com/mr.

Verizon Wireless; Sprint

CONTACT: Media, Jeffrey Nelson of Verizon Wireless, +1-908-306-4824,jeffrey.nelson@verizonwireless.com; or Laura Tigges of Sprint,+1-913-794-3604, laura.j.tigges@mail.sprint.com

Web site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/http://www.sprint.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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