RALEIGH, N.C. - June 17, 2002 - Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) today announced that it has signed a multiyear agreement with Meredith College to significantly upgrade its communications infrastructure.
Sprint, using infrastructure supplied by Cisco Systems, will provide Meredith College with an Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony solution across its entire campus, making it a leader and early adopter of converged communications solutions.
"This new system, which will improve our communications both within the campus and with the public, is another example of Meredith's efforts to improve technology use on campus," said Bill Wade, Meredith College vice president for business and finance.
Meredith will deploy Cisco's Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) solution, allowing it to put both its voice and data services on the same network. Moving to a converged network will allow Meredith to operate more efficiently than can be done with separate voice and data networks and it provides a solid foundation for future network growth.
"Meredith is taking a visionary approach with its communications network," said Steve Parrott, Sprint state executive for North Carolina. "An IP Telephony infrastructure gives Meredith a platform that provides tremendous flexibility and will allow it to easily implement new technology and applications in the future."
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 these telecommunications and networking industry 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. Additionally, the companies recently collaborated on the Sprint Enterprise Content Delivery NetworkSM, a new network solution for business that will enable rich distance learning and communication over a Wide Area Network.
About 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.About Meredith College
Chartered in 1891, Meredith College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college for women. Located on a 225-acre campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, Meredith has an enrollment of approximately 2,600 students and is the largest women's college in the Southeast. In 2001, the college launched the Meredith Technology Initiative, which is designed to expand technology use as a communication and research tool for curricular, co-curricular and community activities on campus.
