OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - May 7, 2002 - Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) today announced a multiyear agreement with Coast Dental Services, Inc. to deliver a wide range of new communications technologies - from Internet voice services (VOIP) and wireless applications to managed network services and high-speed data. Coast Dental is a leading provider of management and support services to general dentistry practices.
"Sprint is the ideal communications provider to help us centralize our systems and improve our business because they provide a single source of integrated, innovative, highly reliable communications services," said Mike Smith, director of IT, Coast Dental. "Sprint understood our business and was able to create a set of services that should enable us to better meet the needs of our managed dental centers, our affiliated dentists, and their patients."
The services to be provided by Sprint include the implementation of a new frame relay network, new Internet Protocol (IP) services, Sprint PCS service, and a range of Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), the hardware that runs the network for a customer. The CPE is made by Cisco and sold along with Sprint solutions as part of a recently announced go-to-market strategy between the companies.
"The strategic relationship between Sprint and Cisco made a real difference in our ability to roll out our frame relay network ahead of schedule," Smith added. "They were able to work with each other and with us to get the job done quickly and efficiently."
"Coast Dental came to Sprint with a vision for how they could use communications and network services to improve their business in a complex economic, regulatory and technical environment," said Patrick O'Malley, president, Sprint Business. "Sprint is the only provider that has the complete suite of wireless, wireline and professional services to help Coast Dental meet its challenges and reach its goals. Through our strategic relationship with Cisco, we were able to deliver the entire solution - from hardware and transport to collaborative applications, management services and wireless connectivity. This agreement clearly demonstrates the power of an intelligent relationship between a communications provider and a service-minded customer."
Sprint and Cisco announced in December 2001 the expansion of their relationship through a three-year strategic relationship. The agreement builds on a long-standing relationship between the industry's telecommunications and networking leaders to forge strong sales, joint marketing and technology development ties well into the future. Sprint and Cisco have teamed up in sales and marketing efforts to deliver a wide range of equipment and services to customers. Initially, the companies are focusing on jointly selling IP-based and broadband services, including dedicated IP, IP VPN and IP telephony.
The Coast Dental agreement includes Cisco 1700 Series Access Routers for remote frame relay services, a Cisco 3600 Series Router for the frame relay host site and other equipment related to the deployment of a new IP Virtual Private Network (VPN).
About Coast Dental
Coast Dental Services, Inc. is a leading provider of management services and support to general dentistry practices. The company currently provides management services to 118 dental centers located in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. For more information, visit the company's website at www.coastdental.comAbout Sprint
Sprint is a global communications company serving more than 26 million business and residential customers in over 70 countries. With approximately 80,000 employees worldwide and more than $26 billion in annual revenues, 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. Sprint's award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone is being extended to key global markets to provide customers with a broad portfolio of scalable IP products. Sprint's high-capacity, high-speed network gives customers fast, dependable, nonstop access to the vast majority of the world's Internet content. Sprint also operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States, already serving the majority of the nation's metropolitan areas, including more than 4,000 cities and communities.
