ATLANTA – Dec. 1, 2016 – Sprint (NYSE: S) is reaching out to assist the local community impacted by the wildfires currently burning across areas of Sevier County, including parts of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The company has deployed wireless support to first responders with the help of the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT) – made up of full-time, seasoned staff with experience in fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), law enforcement, military communications and commercial network technology.



The Sprint ERT is delivering charging stations to evacuation centers, providing 150 devices to state or local agencies impacted or assisting in response to the event, deployed its Disaster Support Vehicle and a Satellite Cell on Light Trucks (SatCOLTs) to help restore wireless connectivity without the need for connection to the local power or telephone utilities.

Additionally, impacted Sprint customers will receive up to 50 percent discounts on select charging accessories1 at select corporate-owned stores through December 14, 2016.



“Communications is the lifeline for our customers during times of devastation and loss, and our first priority is that wireless coverage and devices keep both those impacted and fighting to contain the wildfires, connected,” said Brian Miller, Sprint’s Region President for Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. “Additionally, Sprint remains actively involved in the local community here and we want to show our support by providing some financial relief to our customers and employees who may need a helping hand during and after this disaster.”



Sprint is a corporate member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program at the $500,000 level annually. Sprint pre-invests in disaster relief to ensure that the Red Cross can pre-position supplies, secure shelters, maintain vehicles and train volunteers so that they are ready to respond. Sprint’s proactive support of disaster relief in the United States means that Red Cross volunteers and staff have the resources they need to address the immediate needs related to disasters like hurricanes, floods and countless other crises.



Sprint customers can support the Tennessee Wildfires relief efforts by donating to the American Red Cross on their mobile device. The donation will appear on their wireless bill or will be added to their prepaid balance. Standard text messaging fees have been waived.



• Text “REDCROSS” to “90999” to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.



Sprint also offers these tips for those forced to evacuate:



Keep your wireless phone and backup batteries charged, but be aware that an interruption of wireline and commercial power could affect wireless calls.

In times of commercial power outages, a car adapter for your wireless phone should enable you to recharge the battery.

Load family and emergency numbers into your wireless phone.

Wireless networks sometimes experience heavy voice traffic during emergency events, so try sending a text message rather than making a call.

1 In stock items only, while supplies last.



About Sprint:

Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 60.2 million connections as of Sept. 30, 2016 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the past five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.



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