[May 05, 2016] |
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Sprint Launches Free Wi-Fi Service as Part of Kansas City's Smart City Initiative
Sprint (NYSE: S), in collaboration with Cisco (News - Alert), is revolutionizing the
way Kansas Citians stay connected with the launch of its intelligent
Sprint Wi-Fi network, which serves as the backbone of Kansas
City's Smart City framework. Beginning today, residents and visitors
will be able to enjoy free Sprint (News - Alert) Wi-Fi outdoors along the 2.2-mile KC
Streetcar line through downtown, connecting some of the City's most
iconic districts, such as the River Market, Kansas City Power & Light
District, and Crossroads.
In addition to free Wi-Fi connectivity, the Sprint Wi-Fi intelligent
communications network provides Internet access to a broad range of
citywide services, such as maps and visitor information. Pinsight
Media+, a subsidiary of Sprint, operates the data analytics and
advertising platform, bolstering the intelligent network to enable brand
connections to help bring services to life.
"We are proud to play an integral role in Kansas City's Smart City
initiative, making Sprint's hometown one of the most comprehensive
connected cities in the world," said Tim Donahue (News - Alert), president,
Kansas and Missouri Region at Sprint. "Sprint Wi-Fi will help streamline
city operations, generate economic development, and improve the quality
of life for Kansas City residents."
Initially, Sprint Wi-Fi services will be used for:
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Public Wi-Fi - Allowing Kansas Citians and visitors to access
the Internet along the 2.2-mile Kansas City streetcar line via their
smartphone, tablet or other Wi-Fi capable computing devices while in
public spaces or on the move.
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Sprint Wi-Fi - Providing Sprint customers exclusive access to
alternative high speed connectivity options when attending large
outdoor events along the 2.2 miles of Kansas City streetcar line.
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Community Kiosks - A seriesof 25 interactive digital kiosks
along the streetcar line and nearby downtown locations connected to
the Sprint Wi-Fi network can be used for accessing city services,
current events, transportation services, local business information,
public digital art, local history and entertainment. In addition,
these kiosks may be able to serve as a reverse alert system during
emergencies.
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Smart Lighting and Video - Using Sensity's NetSense platform,
the intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) platform transforms each
lighting fixture into a sensory node. Advanced lighting controls are
designed to automatically adjust street lights to help save money and
energy and reduce light pollution. Video sensors collect real-time
data for smart city, public safety and security applications along
Kansas City's downtown streetcar starter line.
"Today marks a significant day in the advancement of IoT services in the
service provider industry," said Suraj Shetty (News - Alert), vice
president and general manager of mobility solutions for Cisco. "Cisco is
pleased to work with Sprint on the advancement of a Cisco
Smart+Connected Community framework as the company connects the digital
kiosks, outdoor street lighting, the streetcar line, and other
technologies to be utilized in Kansas City to its Wi-Fi network.
Together we are demonstrating endless possibilities of new experiences
in downtown Kansas City for years to come."
Kansas City's Smart City initiative combines a communications network,
wireless sensor technology and intelligent data management, allowing the
city to become more dynamic and efficient. Sprint Wi-Fi allows consumers
to choose alternative network connection options based on location,
creating an even better mobile experience in more outside locations
across downtown Kansas City. Eventually, Sprint Wi-Fi could be used to
support a wide variety of smart city applications to help the city more
efficiently address and manage transportation, utilities, public safety
and environmental monitoring.
In addition to providing outdoor Wi-Fi connection options as part of the
Kansas City Smart City initiative, Sprint continues to focus on building
a world-class network to deliver the consistent reliability, capacity
and speed that customers demand. According to independent mobile
analytics firm RootMetrics® 2nd half 2015 RootScore® Report, Sprint is
tied for #1 in network reliability, call and text performance in Kansas
City.1
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 more than 58.8 million connections as of March 31,
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 (News - Alert) 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.
1Rankings based on RootMetrics Kansas City (November 2015)
RootScore® Report for mobile performance as tested on best available
plans and devices on 4 mobile networks across all available network
types.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160505006189/en/
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