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Sprint WeGo Brings Connectivity to Children and Peace of Mind to ParentsOVERLAND PARK, Kan. --(Business Wire)-- Imagine an elementary school child waiting by the playground, watching all of his friends go home, wondering when mom will be there to pick him up. Then breathing a sigh of relief when he gets a text from mom that says she's stuck in traffic and will be there soon. Twelve is the average age when a child receives their first mobile device.1 But what about kids ages 5 to 12 who can benefit from the communication and safety features a mobile device offers? Sprint (News - Alert) (NYSE:S) today announced Sprint WeGo™, a value-friendly mobile phone that allows parents to give their child the safety and communication tools they need when they are away from home, while also supplying the parental controls and tracking required to teach responsibility and age-appropriate mobile phone use. The device has one front button and two side volume keys that can be used for scrolling on the LCD screen. A portal available online and via mobile application allows parents to locate their child's device on a map, control device features such as contacts, and set up notifications. Sprint WeGo is available starting today at Sprint stores and preferred dealers for existing customers who add a line to their account. Customers have the option of Sprint Easy Pay, which allows eligible customers to purchase the Sprint WeGo phone with $0 down and 24 monthly payments of $5. (Sales tax collected at time of purchase where applicable.) Sprint WeGo Service is $9.99 per month (excluding taxes and fees) and includes 1,000 minutes of talk and 1,000 text messages.2 "Sprint offers parents a wide variety of options to help keep their kids safe - from Sprint Mobile Controls and Sprint Family Locator to Content Filtering to the new Sprint WeGo," said David Owens, vice president of Product, Sprint. "Sprint WeGo is the perfect starter phone to give parents peace of mind while teaching kids responsibility - how to keep track of a device, charge it and care for it - at a low price. This device has all of the basics without anything younger children don't need just yet." Parents will appreciate the ability to limit their child's connections with Sprint WeGo by programming the phone with allowed incoming and outgoing phone numbers. One Button alling allows for up to 20 phone numbers to be specified for outgoing and incoming phone calls. Parents can also use this as a training tool - allowing the child to "earn" more contacts such as friends as they show responsibility. In addition, Sprint WeGo allows limited incoming and outgoing SMS texting options. The phone can receive text messages from any of the 20 specified connections. The phone also offers 50 predetermined outgoing text message options, including: yes, no, I'm at home, I'm at school, I need a ride, Call me please, I don't feel well, I am with mom, I need help, etc. Additional features include:
Elderly needing assistance and individuals with a variety of disabilities will appreciate Sprint WeGo for its one-button calling and ease of use. In addition, it also features quick dial, a panic alarm, wake alert, E911 and is TTY capable and rated for hearing aids. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/wego. About Sprint Sprint (NYSE: S) offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint served more than 55 million customers at the end of 2013 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 prepaid 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. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America in 2011, 2012 and 2013. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint. 1CTIA (News - Alert) - The Wireless Association: Today's Wireless Family - INFOGRAPHIC March 2013 2Additional voice minutes $.40/minute. Additional text messages $.20/message (sent or received).
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