[Sprint Forms Broadband Wireless Group to Deploy Fixed Wireless Broadband Services Across the U.S.]
Tim Sutton Named President of New Organization
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint today announced the creation of a new organization which will build the facilities and develop the wireless broadband services the company will deliver over the nationwide fixed wireless network that Sprint is creating.
Timothy Sutton, formerly vice president, Technology and Corporate Development, has been named president of the Broadband Wireless Group (BWG), reporting to Kevin Brauer, president of National Integrated Services (NIS) and Sprint Business. The Broadband Wireless Group will be a part of NIS.
Sprint is awaiting final Federal Communications Commission approval to acquire five companies with licenses in the Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) spectrum: Peoples Choice TV, American Telecasting, Inc., Transworld Telecommunications Inc., Videotron USA, and WBS America. These licenses will give Sprint up to 200 MHz of spectrum in over 65 markets across the nation, covering about 30 million households. BWG will be responsible for building a broadband fixed wireless network in these markets, and bringing to market a high-speed Internet service for homes and small businesses that will compete with cable data offerings, the xDSL offerings of the local Bell companies and with data CLECs. In addition, the Broadband Wireless Group will work with Sprint's Consumer Services Group, Sprint Business and other parts of NIS to roll out the Sprint Integrated On-Demand Network (Sprint ION) over the wireless infrastructure.
"To make the most of our significant investment in broadband spectrum, we must get to market and begin winning customers as soon as possible," Brauer said. "This new organization is designed to retain the entrepreneurial culture and ability to move quickly that the companies we are purchasing bring to us, while at the same time leveraging Sprint's existing resources.
"Tim has demonstrated leadership and vision in developing this broadband opportunity at Sprint," Brauer said. "This experience, combined with his overall knowledge of the Internet Service Provider marketplace, make him the ideal person to lead this effort."
"Not only will we will make use of Sprint's traditional long-distance distribution channels, we also intend to market locally, setting up marketing and sales channels and customer service and field operations in the communities we serve," said Sutton.
A key Broadband Wireless Group objective is to integrate the management teams and the assets of the companies Sprint is acquiring into a single cohesive organization, while continuing to capitalize on the operations that are already in place. "We think that there is a lot of talent in the companies we are buying, and we intend to use it as the nucleus of our new organization," said Sutton. |
