Open Networks Drive Innovation in Telemedicine

Overland Park, Kan. – June 8, 2011 – How does a wireless carrier make health care delivery more cost efficient and patient friendly? By enabling mobile applications and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, Sprint (NYSE: S) is on the forefront of telemedicine. The driver of Sprint’s innovation is its “open” strategy, providing opportunities for developers to create innovative applications and solutions for the medical community. It also encourages third-party development, streamlines the process of certifying a product on the network and increases the speed a company can get its product to market.

Rather than dictating what developers can do on the Sprint network, Sprint makes available application programming interfaces (API’s) that allow businesses to develop wireless solutions and applications that take advantage of capabilities at the network, IT, service and device level. Sprint has moved beyond the idea that “as a carrier we know best” and instead focuses on leveraging its assets to drive innovation to the market.

“The Sprint Emerging Solutions Group is all about open development,” said Wayne Ward, vice president-Sprint Emerging Solutions Group. “The developer community has told us they thrive in an environment that accelerates their speed to market with simple, unencumbered access to our full complement of network capabilities. Considering that they are delivering wireless applications for the purpose of enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans—and potentially saving lives—Sprint is only too willing to invest in technology and processes that foster innovation.”

Sprint’s open approach has attracted the attention of many entrepreneurial health care companies who understand that chronically ill patients recover faster and are more comfortable at home than in a hospital and that telemedicine has the potential to improve quality of life. Two such companies are American TeleCare and Reflection Solutions.

ATI was the first company to market a video solution over wireless and plans for rapid expansion into hospitals to dramatically decrease costs for 30-day re-admissions. Sprint and ATI are also collaborating on connectivity solutions in patient’s homes to ensure top-notch care, a higher quality of life for chronically ill patients and reduced overall health care costs for their treatment.

Reflection, a founding partner in the Sprint M2M Collaboration Center, was recently named in the Health and Wellness enterprise and vertical market category of CTIA’s Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Awards.

Sprint is successfully partnering with health care and wireless companies by sharing its network and expertise in embedded mobile computing and M2M communications. This arrangement allows Sprint’s health care partners to offer a wireless solution while focusing on its core competencies. Those companies include:

To meet the demand for developer support and network certification, Sprint recently opened an M2M Collaboration Center in Burlingame, Calif. The center is a hands-on, interactive environment where ideas, knowledge and technology unite to produce wirelessly enabled M2M concepts, products and solutions. Engineers from Sprint and their solution partners team up to rapidly bring new M2M ideas to the marketplace that can improve people’s health and wellness. In addition, Sprint holds an annual developers’ conference each fall in California. Developers gather to hear from Sprint executives, industry leaders and session experts to gain valuable insight into the next evolution in the wireless data industry.

The prescription for improving health care includes bringing the industry up to date with current technology. Statistics from the Health Research Institute suggests that telemedicine has the potential to support significant numbers of people with remote monitoring, leading to reduced costs, extended accessibility and enhanced overall effectiveness.

As a demonstration of their commitment to the development of telemedicine as a health care delivery channel, Sprint is a Sustaining President’s Circle member of the American Telemedicine Association. To learn more about Sprint health care solutions, visit www.sprint.com/healthcare.

Wayne Ward will make a keynote speech at the Axeda Connexion in Boston on June 9. Ward will present “How the Connected World will be the Catalyst for Change,” which will include how M2M communications is impacting health care.

With more than 10 years of experience with machine-to-machine (M2M), Sprint has been at the forefront of this wireless industry revolution, teaming with and supporting a large and diverse portfolio of innovative partners to create smarter wireless solutions that change the way people work and live. To learn more, view this special “What if …” M2M video and visit www.sprint.com/m2m.

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 51 million customers at the end of 1Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.