Sprint/Nextel, Verizon Battle for PS

A battle is shaping up among cellular carriers for the public safety marketplace, pitting Sprint/Nextel against Verizon in print advertisements, press releases and e-mail from corporate communications staffers. In an e-mail from a Sprint/Nextel manager, the company says it has “more than 15 years of experience,” while Verizon “is just stepping into the world of public safety communications.” The e-mail claims Sprint/Nextel is a “leader” in the field because of its faster Nextel Direct Connect feature (Verizon “offers a slower call setup”), group services (“Our competitor grants talk permission prior to confirming called party availability (you could talk approximately 15 seconds to no one) and they have no off-network capabilities.”), and prioritized communications (“Our competitor does not offer any such capabilities.”). Sprint/Nextel also says it has an Emergency Response Team (ERT) has a 25,000-phone inventory, while Verizon has just 200 handsets to be used during a disaster. Read public safety info on Sprint/Nextel and listen to a Verizon podcast on their new IP-based interop solution.