January 18th, 2007
Can this merger be consummated? Dual Sprint-Nextel phones are a start but more needs to be done
For the year and a half since the Sprint-Nextel merger, the companies have struggled to combine disparate systems and technologies.
Now, they've made a tangible step forward.
SprintNextel has just announced two phones that will function on both the Sprint and Nextel networks- Nextel's iDEN and Sprint's CDMA.
Both are Motorola PowerSource phones.
The clamshell Buzz ic502 weighs 4.1 ounces, is suggested at $249.99 but can be had for $59.99 with a two-year contract.
Take a look:
Meanwhile the Blend ic402 will sell for a suggested $229.99 list price or $39.99 with a two-year plan.
Coming at ya:
OK, SprintNextel, there's a start. Now, do you think you could integrate your Sprint and Nextel billing system, as well as offer a seamless experience in your stores? Right now when I, a customer, go into a Sprint-branded store whose legacy is as a Nextel store, I am still more likely to see Nextel equipment and encounter Nextel-knowledgeable employees.
These phones are a start, but before this merger can be said to be consummated,integration on the services sides also must be achieved.
Is that too much to ask?
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
