Legacy Sprint

Sprint and The SoftBank Group At Mobile World Congress Americas 2018

September 10, 2018
17 min read

Sept. 14, 2018 - MWCA 2018: That’s a wrap!

Kevin Crull, Sprint chief strategy officer, delivered a keynote Friday on “5G IoT & Enterprise,” putting the finishing touches on Mobile World Congress Americas 2018. He covered anticipated consumer innovations and industries that 5G will disrupt.

“Putting intelligence at the edge will open up so much opportunity for new technology interfaces,” said Crull.
 
The three-day event in Los Angeles – kicking off with a keynote from Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure – provided Sprint no fewer than a dozen opportunities for executives to share our story about our improved network and the road to 5G, artificial intelligence, robotics, IoT and branding.
 
“There are three reasons why 5G is a quantum step forward in connectivity performance,” said Claure. “Ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency, and the Internet of Things for billions of devices. And there are many amazing use cases that will enable a number of consumer innovations.”
 
John Saw, chief technology officer, beamed about Sprint’s future network state. “With 5G and Massive MIMO,” he said, “we are finally going to leverage all the capabilities of 2.5 GHz.” One way Sprint will do that is with game-changing Massive MIMO technology, which was on full display in the Sprint exhibit this week. And Ron Marquardt, vice president-Technology, added, “Reuse from antenna beamforming is so high it’s almost like getting more spectrum.”

In her session about smart cities, Mishka Dehghan, vice president-5G Development, Sprint Business, noted, “There are so many applications that could be enabled when it comes to a smart 5G city. You need the unprecedented flexibility of 5G.”

Celebrating the launch of our new IoT platform, Ivo Rook, senior vice president-IoT and Product Development, said, "We’re very proud of the IoT Curiosity platform, but we would not be able to stand here today and comfortably say that this will be up and running in November if it weren't for our partners, Ericsson."
 
On the whole, Sprint demonstrated many exciting technology innovations and how some will take consumer entertainment to new levels.

Here are some of Sprint’s highlights from the show.  See you next time!

 

Sept. 14, 2018 - Sprint, Nauto drive fleet management

Sprint has an extensive portfolio of fleet management and compliance solutions, which enable commercial fleets to operate reliably and efficiently in any environment. With the addition of Nauto’s intelligent driver safety system – announced at Mobile World Congress Americas 2018 – Sprint’s fleet customers can now get in-cab notifications, context-rich coaching, and liability reduction features to measurably improve driver safety.

Nauto complements Sprint vehicle fleet management solutions with an intelligent driver safety system, which leverages a dual-facing camera, computer vision, and proprietary algorithms to assess situational risk in real-time. By using artificial intelligence (AI) on the device to evaluate driver behavior and the external environment, Nauto ensures that drivers and their fleet and safety managers get the right data at the right time.

Find the news here: https://blog.nauto.com/nauto-now-available-with-sprint-vehicle-solutions

 

Sept. 13, 2018 - CloudMinds takes conversational AI to next level

CloudMinds Technology, a pioneer, developer and operator of cloud AI robotic solutions -- and a part of the SoftBank family of companies -- announced Thursday a technology and go-to-market collaboration with Sprint. At Mobile World Congress Americas 2018, the companies are demonstrating two innovative use cases for retail: Cloud Pepper and the Smart Retail Go-Box.

Find the release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180913005868/en/CloudMinds-Sprint-Extend-Collaboration-AI-Transforming-Retail

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - Sprint involved in turnkey IoT collaboration

Today at Mobile World Congress Americas 2018, Sprint, Ingram Micro and myDevices announced today a collaboration to provide turnkey IoT solutions for a broad range of organizations. Ingram Micro’s North American resellers will now be able to offer their health care, hospitality, food service, retail, education and government customers a 30-day free trial of remote monitoring solutions for temperature/humidity monitoring and facility management.

IoT offerings can provide attractive recurring revenue streams for resellers. The versatile solutions provided as a part of this collaboration enable resellers to install, configure and adapt solutions to unique, customer-specific requirements within minutes.

Find the full press release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180912005905/en/Sprint-Ingram-Micro-myDevices-Launch-FREE-IoT

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - A faster, more powerful, smaller Sprint Magic Box

Sprint is bringing more magic and speed to its award-winning line of all-wireless small cells with the Sprint Magic Box Generation 3. Announced Wednesday at Mobile World Congress Americas by John Saw, Sprint chief technology officer, Sprint Magic Box boasts a smaller footprint, and its improved antenna means customers don’t have to place the device directly in a window.

Sprint Magic Box is designed specifically for public spaces and businesses that receive a lot of commercial traffic, such as coffee shops, parks and libraries. A single device covers an average-sized small business, increases download speeds on average by 250 percent, and improves street-level network performance.

Find the full press release here: https://newsroom.sprint.com/sprint-announces-faster-more-powerful-and-smaller-sprint-magic-box.htm

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - Curious about Sprint’s IoT platform?

During a Sprint event at Mobile World Congress Americas today Ivo Rook, senior vice president-IoT of Sprint, unveiled the Curiosity™ IoT platform, a standard in how IoT (Internet of Things) is managed, simplified and secured. System managers will now be able to manage IoT devices, and the way they connect in various ways, over the air and through multiple profiles.

Curiosity IoT reflects Sprint’s approach to creating the best operating and management environment for connected devices and applications like artificial intelligence, robotics, edge computing and autonomous vehicles.

Find the full press release visit here: https://newsroom.sprint.com/sprint-and-softbank-family-team-to-create-curiosity-iot.htm

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - Marcelo Claure Delivers MWCA Opening Keynote

Marcelo Claure, Sprint executive chairman, chief operating officer for SoftBank Group Corp., and chief executive officer for SoftBank International, today opened the 2018 Mobile World Congress Americas keynote sessions with a plug for the proposed Sprint/T-mobile merger.

“Most of you know Sprint is in the process of merging with T-Mobile. I’m frequently asked, ‘Why did it take you so long to pursue this merger?’ Especially when Sprint just announced record customer growth and record financial performance. And the answer is the same; it’s clear, simple and always the same … and it’s 5G. We waited until we could jointly announce that TOGETHER we will build the world’s most advanced 5G network.”

Claure said when the merger gets approved, the combined company would bring to America – and to the world – the best 5G network. “We will build the world’s most advanced mobile 5G network that will benefit not only consumers but will stimulate competition in the U.S. market,” he said. “Together, we plan to create a network that’s going to have the highest capacity mobile network in U.S. history.”

He added the combined company would cover all of America, with support from our partners we have all over rural America. And, more importantly, the new company would deliver lower prices … and create thousands of new jobs. He promised more job creation on Day 1 than either company can alone.

Claure, who also mentioned SoftBank’s innovation in artificial intelligence and robotics, cited the high quality of American networks – something that helped create the world’s most valuable companies – and that companies like Apple, Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon and Netflix adapted their businesses and saw explosive growth – all because of 4G!

He also said America can’t afford to lose its leadership in 5G. The incredible economic impact has awakened countries like China and South Korea, which are fighting hard in the race to 5G.

“I want to be very clear: The only way the U.S. remains the leader in 5G is by allowing Sprint and T-Mobile to merge. The combined company has the necessary spectrum assets and the financial strength to build the world’s leading 5G network and allow the U.S. to continue its leadership position.”

Important Additional Information

In connection with the proposed transaction, T-Mobile US, Inc. (“T-Mobile”) T-Mobile will file a registration statement on Form S-4, which will contain a joint consent solicitation statement of T-Mobile and Sprint Corporation (“Sprint”), that also constitutes a prospectus of T-Mobile (the “joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus”), and each party will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC.  INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT CONSENT SOLICITATION STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. When final, a definitive copy of the joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus will be sent to T-Mobile and Sprint stockholders. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain the registration statement and the joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus free of charge from the SEC’s website or from T-Mobile or Sprint.  The documents filed by T-Mobile with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at T-Mobile’s website, at www.t-mobile.com, or at the SEC’s website, at  www.sec.gov.  These documents may also be obtained free of charge from T-Mobile by requesting them by mail at T-Mobile US, Inc., Investor Relations, 1 Park Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or by telephone at 212-358-3210.  The documents filed by Sprint with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Sprint’s website, at www.sprint.com, or at the SEC’s website, at  www.sec.gov.  These documents may also be obtained free of charge from Sprint by requesting them by mail at Sprint Corporation, Shareholder Relations, 6200 Sprint Parkway, Mailstop KSOPHF0302-3B679, Overland Park, Kansas 66251, or by telephone at 913-794-1091.

Participants in the Solicitation

T-Mobile and Sprint and their respective directors and executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of consents in respect of the proposed transaction.  Information about T-Mobile’s directors and executive officers is available in T-Mobile’s proxy statement dated April 26, 2018, for its 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Information about Sprint’s directors and executive officers is available in Sprint’s proxy statement dated June 19, 2017, for its 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and Sprint’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 4,  2018 and January 17, 2018. Other information regarding the participants in the consent solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the acquisition when they become available. Investors should read the joint consent solicitation statement/prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions.  You may obtain free copies of these documents from T-Mobile or Sprint as indicated above.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.  No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning T-Mobile, Sprint and the proposed transaction between T-Mobile and Sprint. All statements other than statements of fact, including information concerning future results, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “could” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the proposed transaction, including anticipated future financial and operating results, synergies, accretion and growth rates, T-Mobile’s, Sprint’s and the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, and the expected timing of completion of the proposed transaction. There are several factors which could cause actual plans and results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, or the failure to satisfy any of the other conditions to the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; the occurrence of events that may give rise to a right of one or both of the parties to terminate the business combination agreement; adverse effects on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results because of a failure to complete the proposed transaction in the anticipated timeframe or at all; inability to obtain the financing contemplated to be obtained in connection with the proposed transaction on the expected terms or timing or at all; the ability of T-Mobile, Sprint and the combined company to make payments on debt or to repay existing or future indebtedness when due or to comply with the covenants contained therein; adverse changes in the ratings of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s debt securities or adverse conditions in the credit markets; negative effects of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the transaction on the market price of T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s common stock and on T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s operating results, including as a result of changes in key customer, supplier, employee or other business relationships; significant transaction costs, including financing costs, and unknown liabilities; failure to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction in the expected timeframes or at all; costs or difficulties related to the integration of Sprint’s network and operations into T-Mobile; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions; the inability of T-Mobile, Sprint or the combined company to retain and hire key personnel; the risk that certain contractual restrictions contained in the business combination agreement during the pendency of the proposed transaction could adversely affect T-Mobile’s or Sprint’s ability to pursue business opportunities or strategic transactions; effects of changes in the regulatory environment in which T-Mobile and Sprint operate; changes in global, political, economic, business, competitive and market conditions; changes in tax and other laws and regulations; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Sprint’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 and in its subsequent reports on Form 10-Q, including in the sections thereof captioned “Risk Factors” and “MD&A – Forward-Looking Statements,” as well as in its subsequent reports on Form 8-K, all of which are filed with the SEC and available at  www.sec.gov and  www.sprint.com. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, persons reading this communication are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Sprint assumes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this communication (whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise), except as required by applicable law.

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - Multifactor authentication reduces password reliance

The Mobile Authentication Taskforce, composed of Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, gives a first look at its authentication solution that is less dependent on passwords to secure user accounts. The demo of the taskforce’s solution debuts today at Mobile World Congress Americas 2018.

Developed collaboratively by the four largest U.S. wireless carriers, the prototype reveals the taskforce’s approach to multifactor authentication, which combines the carriers’ proprietary, network-based authentication capabilities with other methods to verify a user’s identity.

Find the full press release here: https://newsroom.sprint.com/att-sprint-t-mobile-and-verizon-unveil-first-look-at-future-mobile-authentication.htm

 

Sept. 12, 2018 - Sprint Executives Featured in New GSMA Report

At Mobile World Congress Americas 2018, the GSMA today issued a report, ‘Intelligent Connectivity: How the Combination of 5G, AI and IoT Is Set to Change the Americas,’ highlighting how the region is set to benefit from the age of ‘intelligent connectivity’ or the fusion of high-speed 5G networks, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Among those interviewed for this in-depth report were Bryan Fries, vice president-5G Product and Marketing Strategy and International Services, and Mishka Dehghan, vice president-5G Development. They outline the key sectors that will benefit most from intelligent connectivity, including entertainment, transportation and manufacturing.

Find the release and report here: https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/new-gsma-report-highlights-how-5g-artificial-intelligence-and-iot-will-transform-the-americas/

 

Sept. 10, 2018 – Sprint and The SoftBank Group Put 5G Technology, IoT, Robotics and Entertainment on Display at 2018 Mobile World Congress Americas

Sprint (NYSE: S), the SoftBank Group and the mobile industry will convene in Los Angeles this week for 2018 “GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA” from Wednesday, Sept. 12, through Friday, Sept. 14. Sprint and the SoftBank Group will showcase superior 5G technology and ways to bring the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics to life, and demonstrate how these innovations can take consumer entertainment to new levels.

Highlights include:

  • Marcelo Claure, Sprint executive chairman, SoftBank Group Corp. chief operating officer, SoftBank Group International CEO and CTIA chairman, will share his vision for 5G and artificial intelligence in the “Connected Future” opening keynote at 9 a.m. PT Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) Keynote Auditorium (available via livestream). Other Sprint senior executives will share perspectives on a range of topics, including 5G deployment strategies, AI, smart cities, IoT for consumers and enterprise, and content partnerships (see list below).  
  • Sprint will have a media and industry analyst event at 10:30 a.m. PT Wednesday, Sept. 12, that will cover Sprint network, 5G and IoT news. John Saw, chief technology officer, will share updates on the company’s Next-Gen Network build out and 5G deployment plans. Ivo Rook, senior vice president of IoT & Product Development, will unveil a groundbreaking new IoT platform with Ericsson, featuring an all-new IoT dedicated (distributed) core network and IoT operating system as Sprint creates the most optimal operating environment for global IoT. Sprint’s unique strategy, SoftBank technology and IoT application partners will be highlighted at the event in South Hall room S305. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to sprint@godriven360.com.
  • When entering LACC South Hall (Stand S.1702), event visitors will find exciting 5G, small cell, IoT, robotics and other technology demos and exhibits at Sprint and the SoftBank Group.
    • Demos will showcase Sprint, the SoftBank Group and its family of companies including Arm, CloudMinds Technologies, Nauto and NextVR.
    • Sprint will spotlight Massive MIMO and 5G technology with network vendors Ericsson, Samsung and Nokia, including with Nokia the first U.S. demonstration of a 5G NR connection over Massive MIMO.
    • In addition, innovations from Adaptive Motion Group, Airspan, Alienware, Freewire, Goldie, Hitachi, HTC Vive, MyDevices, NXM Labs and Seamless Air Alliance will also be featured.
  • Sprint will provide regular updates on its Mobile World Congress Americas activities on the Sprint Newsroom, as well as on Twitter at @SprintNews and @SprintBusiness. Any media or interview requests can be sent to media.relations@sprint.com.

 

Sprint Executives Speaking Engagements

Wednesday, Sept. 12

 

Thursday, Sept. 13

 

Friday, Sept. 14

  • Kevin Crull, chief strategy officer

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