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Sprint Delivers First Spanish-Language Live TV Service for Mobile Phones in U.S.

Posted on: Thursday, 4 May 2006, 09:00 CDT

Sprint (NYSE:S) announced today the availability of Sprint TV En Vivo, the first live Spanish-language video and audio service for mobile phones in the U.S. The high-speed service is available on select handsets equipped for the Sprint Power Vision(SM) network and offers a mix of Spanish- and English-language channels delivering breaking news, sports, entertainment, music videos, weather and other live programming that is specifically designed for the Hispanic community. Additionally, for select multimedia handsets on the Sprint Vision(SM) network, the same content is available in a Java(R) version branded MobiTV en Espanol. MobiTV, Inc., a global leader in television and digital radio services for mobile devices, assembled the channel line-up and designed much of the technology for both versions.

"It makes perfect sense that Sprint is the first to offer a Spanish-language live TV service since our multimedia offerings have consistently led the industry, offering now more than 50 channels, and we are also frequently acknowledged for our diversity initiatives and strong commitment to the Hispanic community. Our inclusion efforts have recently been recognized by publications such as Hispanic Magazine, Hispanic Network Magazine and Hispanic Trends Magazine, and Sprint was recently named one of DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Corporate Diversity for the third consecutive year," said Isaac Mizrahi, director of Multicultural Marketing, Sprint.

"This cutting-edge content line-up is specifically designed to meet the interests and needs of the Hispanic community, who now comprise 14 percent of the U.S. population. This collective offering addresses a very significant audience who are considered to be major drivers and early adopters of mobile entertainment, applications and services," said Paul Scanlan, COO and co-founder, MobiTV.

The growing list of channels on Sprint TV En Vivo includes: Discovery en Espanol, ESPN Deportes, The History Channel en espanol(TM), Sorpresa!, Video Rola, AccuWeather.com, Barrio 305, Comedy Time Latino, ABC News Now, Fashion TV, MAXX Deportes, ShortsTV Corto, V40 Caliente!, El Mic Hip Hop, SHIFT Alternativo and CHAOS Extremo. The service is available for $9.99 per month, as is the Java-version MobiTV en Espanol.

Sprint TV En Vivo joins an already extensive selection of content for the Hispanic community that is offered by Sprint. For example, the Sprint Music Store(SM), which allows over-the-air full-song downloads, offers more than 15,000 Latin-related songs. Other Latin content available through Sprint includes:

-- More than 800 Latin ringers covering at least 12 genres within the Latin category, including Salsa, Reggaeton, Bachata and Tejano,

-- More than 200 Latin screensavers,

-- A bilingual chat product called Latin Lounge,

-- News and weather services such as Noticias al Dia (daily news alerts) and Clima Weathernews,

-- Univision Movil, which provides video clips that are updated regularly for the latest news, sports and entertainment,

-- And mobile e-cards via Univision Tarjetas and Greetings123 en Espanol.

For more information about Sprint TV En Vivo and other offerings for the Hispanic community, visit www.sprint.com/laredpowervision. Select handsets and data plans may be required. Customers can purchase Sprint TV En Vivo by sending the text message "En Vivo" to 4567 on their Sprint handsets.

About Sprint Multimedia

Sprint has a strong history of providing wireless data services that are innovative and unique, and Sprint's multimedia offerings are a distinct example of this leadership. Sprint offers more than 50 video and audio channels of live and on-demand programming, and Sprint was the first U.S. mobile carrier to:

-- Receive an Emmy(R) Award (Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development from The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences), awarded jointly with MobiTV

-- Offer live television programming on mobile phones (MobiTV)

-- Broadcast the first live concert directly on mobile phones (Bon Jovi)

-- Offer full-length feature films on mobile phones (Mspot Movies)

-- Provide any type of multimedia experience on mobile phones, beginning with video slides and audio (1KTV)

-- Deliver a continuous streaming audio and video product up to 15 frames per second

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of communications services bringing mobility to consumer, business and government customers. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two robust wireless networks offering industry leading mobile data services; instant national and international walkie-talkie capabilities; and an award-winning and global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Source: Business Wire

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