October 3 - 12:50am EDT   Sprint has discovered several interested parties who wish to purchase its Nextel business unit, but the wireless provider is facing several obstacles before the sale can be finalized. The Wall Street Journal reports that Sprint's $35 billion 2005 purchase would likely see a deal in the area of $5.4 billion at least, due to the amount of debt that would come with the acquisition. Interested bidders have expressed some resistance to this expense, unless the equity included in the deal were insubstantial in comparison. [full story]

September 10 - 2:40pm EDT   Sprint this afternoon slipped a seventh phone unveiling into its CTIA expo plans and launched the promised BlackBerry 8350i. The device is the first Curve to support the provider's Nextel iDEN network and sets up a push-to-talk call with as many 20 total users in the space of a second, making it ideal for outdoor travelers or workers who want a BlackBerry's "push" mail but with instant voice as well. It moreover stands as the most feature-laden Curve with both GPS and Wi-Fi, either of which is normally available only by itself on other carriers. [full story]

September 2 - 8:50am EDT   Sprint today bolstered its push-to-talk lineup with the Moto V950 Renegade. The flip-phone is hardened to US military-grade specifications for resistance to dust, water and shocks but is as thin as many of Motorola's thinner cellphones and supports the Nextel push-to-talk network through QChat, which uses the phone's faster EVDO Revision A Internet access for its instant-on calls. The device is also a true media phone with a two-megapixel camera, media player software, and access to Sprint's streaming media add-ons. [full story]

July 2 - 1:20pm EDT   The next BlackBerry for Sprint's iDEN push-to-talk network will be a Curve phone, called the 8350, a report claims. Although Sprint announced in February that it would receive a new iDEN BlackBerry, it has otherwise kept quiet on the issue, leaving most information to media leaks and speculation. The new device is expected to help revive Sprint's struggling iDEN network, whose most recent BlackBerry is the outdated 7100i. [full story]

June 19 - 3:30pm EDT   The US Federal Communications Commission today said it has reached an agreement with Sprint that will give the cellular company extra time to give up using some of the channels it relies upon for its Nextel-born iDEN network. The company had previously been required to clear out some frequencies by June 26th to prevent interference for new public safety services but has now been given an indefinite but conditional grant to continue using some of its push-to-talk network channels until they become necessary. [full story]

June 12 - 4:25pm EDT   Sprint on Thursday announced it will soon add four phones with Nextel Direct Connect support in more than 40 US cities. Each new phone will support the Nextel push-to-talk (PTT) network that connects subscribers in less than one second. Some of the handsets' features include call alerts and a Group Connect function over the PTT network that allows communication with up to 20 users at once. The phones can either use one phone number for both traditional calling and PTT functionality, or have a dedicated number for each. [full story]

May 14 - 12:55am EDT   Sprint is currently facing a heavy decision on what to do with the Nextel network, whether it should continue to invest in it, turn it into a standalone company, or simply cease operating the Nextel brand altogether. MocoNews writes that Sprint CEO Dan Hesse recently gave a bit of insight to shareholders, saying that he does not see the iDEN network (which currently is only in use by Sprint) disappearing in the near future, and insists it is the best primary choice for network service. Hesse expects that Motorola would continue to support the technology, even with the company's current wireless problems. [full story]

May 5 - 4:30pm EDT   Sprint is strongly considering selling off its Nextel division after just three years folded into the company, the Wall Street Journal says while crediting anonymous sources. One of Nextel's founders, Morgan O'Brien, is purportedly creating a group of investors that would buy out the push-to-talk group and restore its place as a separate company. Other private companies are also an option, as is a spin-off similar to the landline Internet provider Embarq. [full story]

April 4 - 1:15pm EDT   The CEO of Sprint, Dan Hesse, has announced a new BlackBerry phone for the company's iDEN network, reports say. Sprint inherited the network when it acquired Nextel, but has long been accused of neglecting it, despite it having once had widespread popularity with taxi and construction companies, thanks to push-to-talk support. According to Hesse, the new iDEN BlackBerry is expected "later this year," and will have Wi-Fi -- a feature effectively absent from other iDEN options. [full story]

January 30 - 3:35pm EST   Sprint will not only continue to support its iDEN network, it will attempt to breathe more life into it, the company's CEO says. Rumors have persisted that the company would shut down its push-to-talk technology, which was inherited through the purchase of Nextel and was once in widespread use with the likes of construction firms and taxi companies. Although iDEN devices are still used by millions of Sprint/Nextel subscribers, the Associated Press notes that business and technical issues -- namely dropped, blocked or garbled calls -- have led thousands of people to cancel their accounts. [full story]

January 14 - 3:20pm EST   Sprint/Nextel has adopted a new Motorola phone, meant for use on its Direct Connect iDEN network. Direct Connect lets users treat phones as a walkie-talkie, with the added benefit of being able to send pictures and contact information. Linking into Group Connect, users can talk to a host of people scattered across the US. The phone is the i570, a clamshell with both internal and external screens, mainly designed to be extremely rugged -- it meets the MIL-SPEC 810F standard, certifying a base amount of protection against dust, shocks and vibration. [full story]