Sprint Joins Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) Initiative

Membership Will Enable Sprint to Be a Driving Force for IT Standardization In The Automotive Industry

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan. 29 -- Sprint announced today its active 2004 membership in Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR), a non-profit organization created to establish voluntary IT standards for the retail automotive industry. Through this new relationship Sprint will play a consulting role in helping to shape the technology standards used by automotive dealers nationwide, while also learning more about dealer and automaker needs.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )

"Sprint is committed to delivering meaningful solutions that help those in the manufacturing industry meet the constant challenge of increasing efficiencies and reducing costs," said Lee Priest, director, Sprint Manufacturing Segment. "By joining the STAR organization, Sprint will be able to better ensure the needs of automakers, and dealerships are represented at the forefront of emerging solutions."

Sprint is vigorously utilizing its broad portfolio of products, services and solutions to develop successful telecommunication offerings for the manufacturing industry, including Sprint Dealer Solutions(SM). This integrated solutions platform provides an underlying communications infrastructure that supports interaction between dealers and the automakers, improving efficiency and customer service in the service bay, back office and sales floor.

"We are proud to have Sprint on board with STAR's mission of voluntary standardization for the retail automotive industry and see this involvement having direct relevance for the development of future solutions," said Tom Campisi, STAR communications chair.

Sprint is dedicated to providing integrated communication solutions that help manufacturers address their needs for cost management, connectivity and operational efficiency. Sprint has been recognized for its leadership in serving the manufacturing industry and vertical markets overall with the 2002 Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Leadership Award for the Manufacturing Vertical and the 2004 Frost & Sullivan Telecom Services Vertical Company of the Year Award. For more information, please visit www.sprintbiz.com/solutions/manufacturing .

Sprint is showcasing new and emerging solutions for the manufacturing industry in Las Vegas Jan. 31 -- Feb. 3, 2004 at the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) Convention and Exposition [Booth 4180]. Solutions to be demonstrated include Sprint Dealer Solutions, Internet Protocol Telephony (IPT), Emerging Technologies for Dealerships and Wireless for Dealer Sales and Service.

About Sprint

Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 68,000 employees worldwide and nearly $27 billion in annual revenues, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit www.sprint.com .

  About STAR ( www.starstandard.org )
  Source: STAR

The Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) organization is the Information Technology (IT) standards organization for the retail automotive industry. The goal of the STAR organization is to use IT standards as a catalyst in fulfilling the business information needs of dealers and manufacturers while reducing the time and effort previously required to support this activity.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, STAR is a not-for-profit volunteer organization and its members include Dealers, Manufacturers and Retail System Providers (RSPs). As members, they are interested in developing, promoting, and administering voluntary IT standards in the retail automotive industry and improving the effectiveness, timeliness and competitiveness of the IT solutions needed within the retail automotive industry.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840