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Don't Miss a Call While Online with Sprint Internet Call Waiting
June 23, 2000
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Powered by Nortel Networks, New Service Replaces Need for a Second Phone Line
KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Now being online doesn't mean missing phone calls. Today Sprint introduces Sprint Internet Call Waiting, replacing the need for a second line to access the Internet and receive incoming calls at the same time. Internet surfers can remain in touch while online and receive Internet Call Waiting service free for six months, simply by signing up for the Sprint 1000 long distance plan, that offers rates as low as two cents per minute.
(Photo: newscom.com
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"Online or offline, Sprint makes communicating simple," said Daniel Alcazar, assistant vice president of marketing for Sprint's National Consumer Organization. "Now, with Sprint Internet Call Waiting, our customers don't have to worry about missing a call while surfing the 'Net'."
Powered by Nortel Networks* (NYSE: NT; Toronto) Sprint Internet Call Waiting delivers the name and number of the caller using a pop-up box on the computer screen. The customer then has the option of:
-- Answering the call: uses the same line (dropping the Internet session)
or forwards to another phone, such as a Sprint PCS phone.
-- Taking a message: where the caller leaves a message and a "voice note"
is delivered as a WAV file attachment to the user's designated email
account
-- Listening to and screening the message while it is being left and the
customer can decide whether or not to take the call
-- Playing an announcement to the caller: A pre-recorded announcement,
either "I'll call you back" or "Please call me back later."
"According to Sprint research, we know that over 80 percent of homes have just one phone line," Alcazar said. "With Internet usage at 77 million households and growing every day, that can mean a lot of missed phone calls. Sprint Internet Call Waiting is the perfect and affordable solution to this problem."
"With the average Internet user online for more than an hour at a time, Sprint Internet Call Waiting is technology many people need," Alcazar said. "And with Nortel Networks powering the service, it is technology we can count on."
Sprint Internet Call Waiting will be offered at no additional cost for six months when people sign up for Sprint 1000 or several other Sprint long-distance plans. Sprint 1000 offers 1,000 minutes of state-to-state calling for a flat rate of $20, giving consumers a rate as low as two cents a minute. After the first six months, Sprint Internet Call Waiting will cost just $4.95 per month, much less than the average cost of a second home phone line. New customers who sign up for Sprint 1000 can get Sprint Internet Call Waiting service free for a full six months simply by calling 1-800-PIN-DROP, or by visiting www.sprint.com . Customers will need a Call Forwarding option for this product.
"Sprint is no longer just a long-distance company, but a fully integrated communications provider," continued Alcazar. "Sprint Internet Call Waiting with Sprint 1000 is a perfect example of how we are expanding our services to meet the changing needs of our customers."
Delivering Internet Call Waiting through Sprint is part of Nortel Networks' campaign to build the high performance Internet. Internet Call Waiting is the first of an entire family of innovative applications that Sprint and Nortel Networks are working together to provide to Internet users.
"The combination of Nortel Networks' Internet Telephony expertise and Sprint's strong brand name and marketing value allows web users to experience innovative Internet products first hand, such as Internet Call Waiting," said Irving Ebert, Vice-President, Service Provider Solutions, Nortel Networks. "Nortel Networks continues to ask 'What do you want the Internet to be?' and consumers said they want it to be personal, and they want the freedom to choose. Web-surfers want the option to drop their Internet connection and take calls or stay online and ask callers to leave a message. Internet Call Waiting gives them this freedom."
New advertising begins airing today nationwide featuring award-winning actress Sela Ward. Existing :30 network Sprint 1000 ads will have tags of the new product attached to them. Breaking days later are a :60 Sprint 1000 DRTV spot which contains Internet Call Waiting messaging at the beginning and end of the ad, along with newly created :15 spots. The :15 ads feature various scenarios of an Internet Call Waiting customer receiving messages. In addition, online banner advertising will complement the broadcast media strategy. McCann-Erickson New York produced the spots and handles Sprint's consumer long-distance advertising.
Nortel Networks is a global leader in telephony, data, eBusiness, and wireless solutions for the Internet. The Company had 1999 U.S. GAAP revenues of US$21.3 billion and serves carrier, service provider and enterprise customers globally. Today, Nortel Networks is creating a high-performance Internet that is more reliable and faster than ever before. It is redefining the economics and quality of networking and the Internet through Unified Networks* that promise a new era of collaboration, communications and commerce. Visit us at www.nortelnetworks.com .
Sprint is a global communications company at the forefront of integrating long-distance, local and wireless communications services, and a large carrier of Internet traffic. Sprint built and operates the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and is a leader in advanced data communications services. Sprint has $20 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 20 million business and residential customers.
* Nortel Networks and Unified Networks are trademarks of Nortel Networks.
SOURCE Sprint
CONTACT: Melinda Tiemeyer, 913-624-4578, or Melinda.g.tiemeyer@mail.sprint.com, or Steve Lunceford, 202-585-1955, or Steve.lunceford@mail.sprint.com, both of Sprint; or Annie Skaehill of Nortel Networks, 972-685-0674, or Annies@nortelnetworks.com
Photo: NewsCom: newscom.com newscom.com newscom.com newscom.com newscom.com newscom.com PRN Photo Desk, 888-776-6555 or 201-369-3467
Web site: sprint.com (FON NT)
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