Telecommunications

[October 17, 2011]

ADDING MULTIMEDIA Sprint Moves Up Three Spots to No. 3 in Newsweek Green Rankings

Sprint (News - Alert) (NYSE: S) today announced that it has earned the No. 3 spot on Newsweek's 2011 Green Rankings. This is the second straight year that Sprint has ranked in the top 10, up from No. 6 last year. (Sprint ranked No. 15 in 2009.) Sprint's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, support device recycling programs, and bring more sustainable mobile devices and emerging technologies to market helped place Sprint among the greenest companies in the United States.

"To be No. 3 on Newsweek's Green Rankings is an honor," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "Given the rigorous measurement used by Newsweek, we are proud that our efforts have been recognized. We are committed to building a more sustainable company and will continue our aggressive environmental efforts."

Newsweek measures company rankings based on environmental impact, environmental management, and disclosure and transparency. Newsweek relies on leading environmental research organizations Trucost and Sustainalytics to evaluate each of the companies. Sprint, which received strong marks in all three categories with an overall score of 75.6 percent, is the only telecommunications company in the Top 25 of America's greenest companies. Across all industries, Sprint ranked 16^th globally.

• Environmental Impact - Sprint received a score of 71.5 percent. Trucost evaluated 700 metrics, including emissions of nine key greenhouse gases, water use, solid waste disposal, and emissions to determine the score.
• Environmental Management - Sprint received a score of 81.5 percent. Sustainalytics evaluated each company's environmental policies, programs, targets and initiatives, on the basis of company operations, suppliers and contractors, as well as products and services.
• Disclosure and Transparency - Sprint received a score of 68 percent. This portion of the ranking evaluated the quality of company sustainability reporting and involvement in key transparency initiatives, such as the Global Reporting Initiative and Carbon Disclosure Project.

Sprint's Progress and Key Milestones

In August, Sprint released its Corporate Responsibility Report, which highlighted the company's environmental stewardship and the challenges that lie ahead. The company made significant progress toward the environmental goals it set for 2017 and has developed policies and programs to further engage suppliers in their efforts to improve the sustainability of the wireless industry, and consumers in their personal goals to practice a greener lifestyle.

• Sustainable Product Design: Building on Sprint's reputation to offer sustainable devices and accessories, Sprint initiated a relationship with Underwriters Laboratory Environment to develop a sustainability standard for mobile devices. Samsung (News - Alert) Replenish, exclusive to Sprint, was the first device to receive the certification under UL Environment's interim standard. Sprint offers customers the widest selection of sustainable wireless devices and accessories in the United States.
• Climate Protection: The most important news for Sprint's GHG efforts has been the announcement of the Network Vision project. Although Sprint has already reduced its emissions by 7.3 percent, Network Vision will be the most significant driver to support Sprint's 20 percent absolute goal by 2017 (as part of Sprint's agreement with World Wildlife Fund Climate Savers program announced last week). Sprint has also implemented a number of machine-to-machine solutions in connected transportation to reduce fuel consumption and improve the efficiency of the electrical grid.
• E-Waste Management: Through the company's Project Connect and Sprint Buyback programs, Sprint has kept more than 26 million devices out of the waste stream and landfills. Sprint has also enhanced its commitments for responsible end-of-life solutions for mobile devices and Sprint's Network and IT e-waste through its Electronics Stewardship Policy.

In the coming year, Sprint plans to focus its efforts on better managing its carbon footprint through Network Vision, expand its green mobile device offerings, and further work with suppliers to improve the sustainability of its supply chain.

"We are proud of the progress we have made to date, and this recognition is a tremendous confirmation of the work Sprint has done," Hesse noted. "We have always believed being a more sustainable company is good business. It's the right thing to do for the company and our customers to preserve our planet."

About Sprint Nextel (News - Alert)

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 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 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 (News - Alert) 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. 3 in its 2011 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.

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