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Horace Mann Selects Sprint to Deliver Voice, Data Services to Connect Operations, Field Agents Across the Country

Posted on: Monday, 11 October 2004, 06:00 CDT

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint today announced a new, exclusive three-year agreement with Horace Mann Educators Corporation to provide data and wireline services to its home office as well as six Regional Claims offices throughout the United States. In addition, this deal provides Sprint the opportunity to become a major provider of wireless services to Horace Mann in the future.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )

With this agreement, Sprint becomes the primary communications provider for Horace Mann, an insurance holding company offering retirement products, automobile, homeowners, group and life insurance to the nation's education community.

"With Sprint, we found a stable partner that could provide not only the network assets and technical expertise, but an account team who demonstrated a keen understanding of our business," said Kirk Newenham, Process Improvement and Quality Assurance Officer, Horace Mann Educators Corporation.

Under this agreement, Sprint will provide all data services to Horace Mann, including a highly secure peerless IP (Internet Protocol) network. The government-grade peerless IP network is a solution originally aimed at meeting the increasing security and performance demands of many federal and state government agencies. Already, the FBI, National Guard and other key agencies have announced implementation of the peerless IP network. Now, Sprint business customers like Horace Mann are increasingly attracted to this unique network architecture. The peerless IP product builds upon the exacting standards and performance levels of Sprint's Tier 1 IP backbone. Sprint was the first to offer such a solution to meet government agency demands for a closed, native IP intranet.

"We're proud to be able to provide solutions to our customers that allow them to improve efficiency as well as enhance their customer satisfaction," said Jay Highley, vice president - Central Area, Sprint. "We've built a specific competency around designing communications services for insurance companies. We're focused on providing services that will help companies like Horace Mann remain competitive in their industry and better serve its customers."

With Sprint's advanced network architecture, Horace Mann customers will now be able to have their claims processed more efficiently and much more quickly. For example, if a Los Angeles-based customer has a traffic accident in Seattle and uses his or her mobile phone to report the claim, that call may now be routed to the nearest Regional Office servicing the Seattle area. Previously, the call would have been routed to a third-party vendor before routing that claim to the home area where the call was coming from, in this case Los Angeles, using valuable time and resources.

The agreement also includes dedicated IP services, Managed Network Services, long-distance and toll-free calling. In addition, Sprint is managing and maintaining Cisco equipment for Horace Mann as part of the agreement. Sprint and Cisco maintain a strategic alliance that focuses on meeting customer needs for IP equipment and services through shared market research, joint development of new products and technologies, and joint sales and marketing.

Sprint has a complete portfolio of communications solutions that extends innovative and reliable connectivity to the insurance industry. These offerings can provide comprehensive business continuity, multichannel contact- center solutions, around-the-clock managed security and top-ranking network reliability.

Sprint has been recognized for its leadership in vertical markets overall with the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Vertical Market Penetration Leadership award for the insurance industry and the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Telecom Services Vertical Company of the Year award. For more information, please visit http://www.sprint.com/insurance .

About Sprint

Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With more than $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, 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 http://www.sprint.com/ .

About Horace Mann

Horace Mann -- the largest national multiline insurance company focusing on educators' financial needs -- provides retirement annuities, life insurance, property/casualty insurance, and other financial solutions. Founded by educators for educators in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Ill. Horace Mann is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HMN. For more information, visit http://www.horacemann.com/ .

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Sprint

CONTACT: Jeff Shafer of Sprint, +1-913-794-3614,jeff.s.shafer@mail.sprint.com

Web site: http://www.horacemann.com/http://www.sprint.com/insurancehttp://www.sprint.com/

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