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Lawrence, Kan.-Based Cable Company to Offer Sprint Wireless Services

Posted on: Friday, 19 March 2004, 06:00 CST

Mar. 19--Sunflower Broadband and Sprint have reached what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind agreement that will allow the Lawrence-based cable company to begin selling wireless telephone service.

As part of the deal confirmed Thursday by officials from both companies, Sunflower will offer Sprint PCS wireless service to its customers likely beginning in the next 60 days.

"Our hopes are that we can be a one-stop shop for our business and residential customers," said Patrick Knorr, general manager of Sunflower Broadband.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Sprint officials are touting the agreement as a sign of the next big trend in the cable industry.

"We definitely think the next step for many cable companies is wireless telephone service," said David Gunasegaram, a spokesman with Overland Park-based Sprint. "For Sprint, it allows us to tap into an entirely new market."

Gunasegaram said the deal with Sunflower was the first time Sprint had partnered with a cable company to sell wireless telephone service. He said he also was unaware of any other similar partnership between a cable company and a major wireless telephone provider, although he predicted more such deals would be signed in the future.

"Working with one company to get all your services is very appealing to consumers," Gunasegaram said. "We feel that is what consumers are wanting and demanding."

Initially, Sunflower customers who purchase Sprint PCS service will receive a bill from Sprint. But Knorr said the companies were working on a system that would allow the services to be put on a bill from Sunflower.

Knorr also said Sunflower hoped to create a system that would allow Sunflower subscribers to have a common voice mail for their traditional and wireless phones.

The agreement may produce other opportunities, Gunasegaram said. He said Sunflower might be able to offer customers the ability to have one phone number for both their traditional and wireless phones.

Knorr said pricing plans for the wireless service were being developed.

The company provides broadband services to about 35,000 customers in Lawrence, Eudora, Tonganoxie, Linwood and Basehor.

Sunflower Broadband is owned by The World Company, which also owns the Journal-World.

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To see more of the Journal-World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ljworld.com.

(c) 2004, Journal-World, Lawrence, Kan. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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