Sprint Nextel, Verizon execs duel on NXTcomm08 stage

LAS VEGAS – On day two of the NXTcomm08 event here, wireless seemed to jump out of the backseat and into the limelight. Executives Denny Strigl, current president and COO of Verizon Communications Inc. and former CEO of Verizon Wireless, and Dan Hesse, CEO at Sprint Nextel Corp., each grabbed the keynote spotlight and packed the seats, talking up their respective initiatives.
Strigl, who now focuses on Verizon’s wireline business, did take some time to defend Verizon Wireless on the international stage. Strigl said Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network runs three times faster than what’s currently available in Europe.
“It’s time to put this myth to rest,” Strigl said.
Strigl then went on the offense, turning to 4G and Verizon Wireless’ preparations. He said the carrier will begin testing LTE technology later this year, and briefly outlined some of the carrier’s plans for its upgraded network. Strigl said Verizon Wireless would offer “flex bundle” plans bridging wireless and broadband services, new international plans and, eventually, IMS services he said would make applications work across all of the carrier’s networks.
“Customers will no longer be stranded on different islands of technology,” Strigl said.
Sprint counters
Sprint Nextel’s Dan Hesse took a different tack, entering the stage with a bit of humor.
“I’ve gone over to the dark side of wireless,” Hesse said to the mostly wireline-focused crowd. Before taking the helm of Sprint Nextel, Hesse was head of wireline operator Embarq.
Hesse then laid out the case for Sprint Nextel, boasting about new products and a snappy network, and sought to drive the point home by showing some of the carrier’s recent commercials.
Specifically, Hesse showed off the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Instinct, the carrier’s flagship device and its answer to AT&T Mobility’s iPhone. The Instinct is set to be available Friday for $130 with a two-year contract- notably below the 3G iPhone’s $200 price tag.
Interestingly, Hesse briefly took a jab at the Instinct’s prime competitor, Apple Inc.’s iPhone, and the carrier selling the device.
“We (Sprint Nextel) have five times more 3G coverage than AT&T Mobility,” Hesse said.
Hesse also plugged the carrier’s WiMAX efforts, which now fall under the recently launched Clearwire Corp. initiative, by trotting out the previously used claims of having a 2-year head start on carriers deploying the rival LTE standard. Hesse also said the carrier would launch commercial WiMAX service in Baltimore in September and in Chicago and Washington, D.C., by the end of the year.