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Colorful SCP-2700 by SANYO, Exclusively from Sprint, Makes Mobile Messaging Easy and Affordable with Full QWERTY Keyboard

At just $49.99 a month, Sprint’s Everything Messaging Pairs with Easy-To-Use $29.99 Candy-Bar-Style Phone for an Unbeatable Value in Wireless

Debuts on May 10 in all Sprint retail channels including www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. and WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – March 31, 2009 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Kyocera SANYO Telecom, Inc. (KSTI) today announced the upcoming arrival of SCP-2700 by SANYO, a stylish and easy-to-use messaging device featuring a full QWERTY keyboard with threaded text messaging, 1.3 megapixel camera, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Family Locator, Sprint Mobile Email Work, Social Zone application, and Bluetooth^®. SCP-2700 will be available beginning May 10 in all Sprint retail channels including www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1. SCP-2700 by SANYO will be available exclusively from Sprint for just $29.99 with a new two-year service agreement, after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Sprint offers an affordable Everything Messaging Plan that lets customers -- particularly the growing numbers who are new to texting -- take advantage of the SCP-2700 by SANYO’s messaging features at a great value. This plan includes 450 anytime minutes, unlimited night & weekend minutes starting at 7 p.m., unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, plus unlimited text, picture and video messaging – all for just $49.99 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges). This plan provides a savings of more than $115 per year vs. comparable AT&T and Verizon plans.*  

Families can take advantage of unlimited messaging on SCP-2700 by SANYO with Sprint’s Everything Messaging Family plan. At an annual savings of more than $235 vs. comparable Verizon and AT&T plans, this plan allows two customers to share 1,500 minutes, including free nights starting at 7 p.m. and weekends, and unlimited texting, picture sharing and more starting at $99.99 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges).

Everything Data plans are also a great value, starting at just $69.99 per month for 450 minutes of talk time with unlimited data, including texting, email, Web browsing and GPS. Unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling to other Sprint customers and free nights & weekends starting at 7 p.m. are included in these affordable plans.

Blending the practicality of a full QWERTY keypad with vibrant colors and designs, SCP-2700 offers users many of the most desirable features in wireless without sacrificing style or functionality.  The handset, which will be available in both Impulsive Pink, with a subtle floral overlay, and Deep Blue, has a tactile square designer pattern on its back.

“Mobile messaging has quickly become the de facto mode of communication for millions and, whether it’s for kids and grandparents or the seasoned texter, this phone has the ideal combination of usability, style and affordability,” said Andy Kodera, president of Kyocera SANYO Telecom, Inc. (KSTI). “Many associate messaging with teens or ‘tweens,’ but it’s become increasingly popular with all age segments. The SCP-2700 addresses a distinct need for a texting-focused QWERTY device at an entry-level price point.”

According to a recent study commissioned by Sprint, the number of texters in the 50-64 year-old range has grown by more than 50 percent since 2006, mostly driven by parents who have adopted texting to stay connected to their children. In that demographic, 75 percent of text messages are sent to the user’s children. People under 30 are four times more likely to respond within a few minutes to a text than to voicemail.**

“Although we have found an increasing number of older adults wanting to join the texting generation, one in 10 adults over age 30 say they don’t text because they’re not sure how,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development and technology for Sprint. “SCP-2700 is the ideal transition device to ease these adults into easy messaging, as well anyone who is already using these services. With Sprint’s Everything Messaging Plan and the low cost of the device with a full QWERTY keyboard, we’ve virtually eliminated any barriers for adults looking for a simple messaging device, small businesses looking to outfit employees with an inexpensive but feature-rich phone or parents buying their child’s first wireless phone.”

SCP-2700 by SANYO offers several family-friendly applications such as Sprint Family Locator, Social Zone and Sprint Navigation.  Sprint Family Locator uses GPS technology to locate your child’s phone and displays the location on an interactive map.  Social Zone, allows access to Photobucket, MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube and several other social networking sites from the handset. Users can easily post mobile photos and updates from virtually anywhere, anytime for $2.99 a month. Sprint Navigation provides full-feature GPS navigation, including voice and on-screen, turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings. 

Sprint also launched Ready Now, a revolution in the wireless retail experience, in all company-owned Sprint stores last fall. With Ready Now, Sprint has trained and committed its retail associates to work one-on-one with customers to personalize phones, set up features and demonstrate how phones work – before customers leave the store. SCP-2700 customers can work with Sprint retail associates to learn more about how they can fully leverage the strengths of their device on Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network.  

Sprint operates two high-performing wireless networks, including America’s most dependable 3G network,*** which supports easy and convenient texting for quick messages on the go, and also can provide customers blazing fast 3G speeds when accessing the mobile Web, NFL Mobile Live, email and various social networking sites – wirelessly.

About SPRINT NEXTEL

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 is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 49 million customers at the end of the fourth quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

About KYOCERA SANYO Telecom, Inc. (KSTI)

Based in Woodland Hills, Calif., Kyocera SANYO Telecom, Inc. oversees the development, marketing, sales and support of SANYO-branded mobile phones in North America. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyocera International, Inc. (KII) of San Diego. For more information about SANYO mobile phones, please visit www.SANYOwireless.com.

About KYOCERA

San Diego-based Kyocera International, Inc. (KII) is the North American headquarters and holding company for Kyoto, Japan-based Kyocera Corporation. Kyocera Corporation (NYSE: KYO), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of advanced ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, semiconductor packages, electronic components, laser printers, copiers, solar energy systems and industrial ceramics. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, the company's consolidated net sales totaled 1.29 trillion yen (approximately $12.9 billion). For more information please visit http://www.kyocera.com.

* Savings based on 450-minute options for Verizon Select and AT&T Talk & Text plans, based on published rate plans available on publication date.
** Sprint survey of 2,010 people conducted by telephone in October 2008.

*** Dependability based on independent, third party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the 50 most populous markets from June 2008 to November 2008. 

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