INDEPENDENCE, Va. -- Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) today announced the deployment of packet technology for its local switching network in Virginia. The switch location is located in Wytheville, Va., which serves the communities of Independence, Comers Rock and Mouth of Wilson. The location is the second conversion area for Sprint's packet migration plan in 2003.

The network upgrade, along with the replacement of the existing circuit switches, now provides local customers with a comprehensive menu of previously unavailable services, including:

"This is an exciting announcement for the Independence area," said Mark Chall, vice president-network packet switching, Sprint's Local Telecommunications Division. "By upgrading the network, our customers can receive new products and services, and the transformation from a circuit-to-packet system keeps the businesses and customers in the communities we serve at the leading edge of telecommunications."

A packet network enables voice, video and data traffic to be "broken down" into smaller pieces (packets) and simultaneously sent across the same path allowing for a more efficient use of the network. The planned migration of Sprint's eight million lines to a packet system will improve the capability of the company's network to introduce and operate future products and services, and facilitates the progression to a seamless Sprint network.

On May 27, 2003, in Gardner, Kan., Sprint became the first major telecommunications company in the United States to begin the technology leap and convert from a circuit-switched telephone network to a simplified, next-generation packet network. The project entails the conversion of Sprint's entire local switching network with packet technology.

In addition to Independence, Va., the locations scheduled for conversion to packet switching in 2003 include Johnson City, Tenn.; Clinton, N.C.; Havelock, N.C.; Newport, Pa.; Boulder City, Nev.; Mill Hall, Pa.; Wauchula/Zolfa Springs, Fla.; and Warren, Ohio.

Sprint has teamed with Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT; Toronto) to launch the circuit-to-packet transformation that involves replacing Class 5 switches with softswitches, which are considered the brains of the packet network, and gateways, which are the on-ramps and off-ramps. The simplified switching network allows for a 75% consolidation of host central offices.

Sprint Corp.

Nortel Networks Corp.