Sprint joins Reliance Infocomm

Sprint, the $26 billion US-based telecommunications major, which recently merged with Nextel, has announced a partnership with Reliance Infocomm to expand its internet protocol (IP) network to India.

The global conglomerate is also looking at the possibility of working closely with Reliance to jointly develop next generation telecom technologies which will see the sharing of wireline and wireless infrastructure.

According to Sprint, the expansion of its IP network to India is part of its continuing efforts to serve the global communication needs of US-based multinational corporations.

Sprint, with this new offering, will now be able to offer its suite of corporate data services to help companies connect to employees, offices or business partners in and outside the country. IP nodes have been deployed in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore.

Reliance Infocomm will provide international connectivity to India and intracountry last mile connectivity for Sprint in servicing US-based companies in India.

Said Paget L Alves, president "" strategic market, Sprint Business Solutions: "We are deploying our network resources in areas most important to the US-based MNCs that make up our customer base. This new connectivity to India joins an IP presence to connect locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific, ensuring that Sprint continues to meet the growing needs of our customers."

A spokesperson for Reliance commenting on the pact said: "The relationship will benefit both companies by efficiently extending the reach of our respective networks. By working with Sprint, we are expanding our international reach. This is yet another addition to our portfolio of services being offered to Indian transnational corporate houses."

Alves, commenting on expanding the scope of Sprint's relationship with Reliance said: "We are one of the largest wireless service providers based on CDMA technology in the US and Reliance is operating on the same platform in India.

We see lot of synergies and we anticipate that CDMA will drive the growth. We are in initial talks with Reliance on how we can enhance our customers experience by using the platform."