[September 30, 2003] New Agreement Allows Construction Enterprise to Support E-commerce Initiatives And Network Redundancy OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) announced today that it has signed a new, multiyear agreement with Ashland (NYSE: ASH) to provide Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. Ashland is a market leader in highway construction, chemical and thermoplastic distribution, specialty chemicals, motor oil and car-care products, (namely Valvoline). Not only did we need a responsive, flexible and reliable telecommunications provider, we also needed stability for a long-term relationship. We believe we've found that in Sprint, said Ken Ledford, director of computing infrastructure and global telecommunications, Ashland. We view the Internet as a critical tool to gain operational efficiency and grow our business. Though this agreement, Sprint will provide Ashland with secure and reliable IP connectivity to the SprintLink(TM) global, all-digital network, which is backed by industry-leading service level agreements. Ashland will benefit from IP connectivity to enhance employee web-based training and communication, and support their e-commerce initiatives. Additionally, the connectivity provides redundancy to help avoid the possibility of an outage and loss of productivity. Ashland is a technology-savvy company with truly global presence and we're pleased they've seen the value of Sprint's innovation, said Claire James, regional vice president, Sprint Business - Southeast. The strong relationship and expertise of the Sprint account team helped us gain Ashland's confidence to earn the business. About Ashland Ashland (NYSE: ASH) is based in Covington, Ky. Over 24,000 employees serve customers in more than 140 countries around the world. Ashland's operations include highway construction, specialty chemicals, motor oil and car-care products, chemicals and plastics distribution, and refining and marketing. About Sprint Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 70,000 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 http://www.sprint.com . [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]