• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Sprint Named by Frost & Sullivan as Telecom Services Vertical Company of the Year

Posted on: Thursday, 15 January 2004, 06:00 CST

For its successful transition from a product-centric to customer-centric company in core enterprise verticals, Frost & Sullivan honored Sprint (NYSE:FON) (NYSE:PCS) with the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Telecom Services Vertical Company of the Year Award at last night's Excellence in Information and Communication Technology Awards Banquet.

Sprint has emerged as a vertical solutions leader by applying and marketing existing product offerings to specific industries; this has included both an in-house transition of marketing efforts and the forming of external partnerships with companies such as Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Learning Station, and Nortel Networks.

Despite ongoing economic slowdown and intense competition, Sprint has expanded operations in the enterprise and private communications market. The company gauged the market shift to customer-driven policies and proactively responded by developing vertical solutions for the financial services, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, professional services, hospitality, education, and government markets.

The company has capitalized on its expertise to identify and target key industries within its markets based on demographics, expenditure, and opportunities. Its Web site focuses on core industry challenges, Sprint solutions, and vertical market information to personalize the content for important clients.

"Sprint is making the transition to vertical and customer-centric strategies with support from several internal teams including marketing, product development, channel management, and sales," notes Rod Woodward, industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "These teams are geographically located throughout Sprint's footprint in order to respond quickly to ever-changing customer needs and to better serve key vertical industries."

Continued efforts to integrate its services and products to suit customer needs has helped Sprint remain the market leader even during the most pressing times in the telecom industry. With its broad understanding of clients' businesses and concerted efforts to develop its vertical programs further, Sprint is expected to continue as a market leader for the foreseeable future.

"At a time when enterprise customers are expecting carriers and vendors to go the extra mile to provide true, vertical-based solutions, Sprint has been developing the Sprint InSite(sm), the Sprint Empowered Education(sm) Desktop, and Sprint Dealer Solutions to meet the business challenges of diverse verticals such as hospitality, K-12 education, and automotive manufacturing," said Vicki Warker, vice president, Sprint Business Solutions Marketing. "We are pleased to be recognized for these accomplishments and will continue to take advantage of our wireline and wireless expertise and assets to deliver results for our customers."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan recognizes a company that has demonstrated strategic excellence in product innovation, marketing, and sales strategies that boost product adoption within each of its vertical industries. The recipient has also used the current product mix and industry application to develop innovative vertical products.

Held in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Frost & Sullivan banquet honored world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in the information and communication technology industry. An annual event, the banquet recognizes the quality and merit of these distinguished individuals and companies.

About Sprint

Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 68,000 employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, 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 and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

More News in this Category