This July 4, Sprint recommends customers try travel-related -- and budget-friendly -- functions to help enhance their vacations
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 30, 2009--
Packing a wireless phone for vacation is a no-brainer for most summer
travelers, but a recent survey from Sprint (NYSE:S) shows that the
majority of those vacationers are not using helpful travel applications
because of budget concerns.
From GPS to video/photo sharing to weather and flight information,
travelers can untap the power of their phones via Sprint’s powerful 3G
network – the nation’s most dependable1 – while on the beach,
at an amusement park or while camping. And they can do all of this for
one flat monthly rate, thanks to the Sprint Simply EverythingSM
plan, which allows customers to save $1,200 over two years vs.
comparable plans for the iPhone.2
With Everything Data plans and the Simply Everything plan, many
travel-related applications and tools are available at no additional
charge. Sprint Navigation, an award-winning GPS-enabled navigation
service that provides audible turn-by-turn directions, 3D moving maps,
and real-time traffic alerts with one-click rerouting capabilities, is
available at no additional cost on more than 50 Sprint phones. In
contrast, AT&T customers pay an additional $9.99 per month for AT&T
Navigator on top of AT&T data plan prices.
Also offered on Web-enabled Sprint phones at no additional charge:
flight alerts and flight status information, weather information, social
networking and personal email. And, on smartphones such as the Palm®
Pre™ and Blackberry® Curve, customers can enjoy access to corporate
email (also available on more than 20 consumer-friendly phones such as
Samsung Instinct™, Sanyo Katana Eclipse and LG Rumor)—at no additional
cost on Sprint Everything Data plans, including the Simply Everything
plan.
“It’s clear that the wireless phone is a must-have device for travelers
for calling, but what we’ve also realized is customers aren’t using the
device for all it can do in terms of their data experience; there is a
wealth of untapped information right at their fingertips,” said David
Owens, director of product marketing, Sprint. “Thanks to our dependable
and fast network, wireless customers can easily access audible
turn-by-turn GPS for directions, get location-based weather information,
receive flight alerts and use hotel booking services. We encourage
people to enhance their travel experience and take advantage of the
value-rich applications and features that are available at no additional
cost with Sprint's Everything Data and Simply Everything plans. We
specifically built our pricing plans to match the incredible
capabilities on these devices. It is just one of the ways Sprint is
differentiating itself in the market.”
Key findings from the Sprint travel/value survey include:
What vacationers pack
Aside
from laptops (50 percent), MP3 players (38 percent) and portable DVD
players (17 percent), wireless phones (79 percent) are the most popular
item for travelers.
Use of travel-related applications among
vacationing adults
Eighty-nine percent of young adults (ages
18-34) would ideally like to have access to travel-related applications
on their wireless phones, including social media Web sites (34 percent),
online/wireless games (19 percent) and restaurant guides (51 percent)
while away.
Thirty-five percent of males (ages 18-34) and 24 percent of females
(ages 18-34) already use at least some travel applications on their
wireless phones.
More than half of vacationers (56 percent) do not use available
travel-related features on their wireless phones because of cost
concerns. Sixty-one percent of these women and 65 percent of these young
adults (ages 18-34) believe that the fee to run travel-related
applications on their wireless phones is a deterrent to using them.
Accessibility of vacationers
More
than one-third (37 percent) of men misrepresent their accessibility to
e-mail and their wireless phone while on vacation. Young adults lead the
charge in staying connected: Three-quarters (77 percent) of young adults
(ages 18-34) are more likely to check their e-mail while away than their
older counterparts (61 percent of those ages 55+).
How vacationers stay in touch
Sixty-seven
percent of adults prefer to use their mobile phones to keep in touch
with their family members who are not with them. In terms of checking
e-mail, one in three adults (31 percent) describe their e-mail checking
personality as “compulsive or frequent” while on vacation.
Social media use of vacationing adults
Thirty-eight
percent of young adults (ages 18-34) who capture images/videos of their
vacation prefer to share the images/videos by uploading them to social
network sites.
This survey was conducted online May 20-22, 2009, within the United
States by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Sprint among 2,212
adults ages 18 and older, of whom 2,070 go away on vacation. This online
survey is not based on a probability sample. Therefore, no estimate of
theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey
methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Emmy Anderson.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
two wireless networks serving more than 49 million customers at the end
of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
1 ”Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests
for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength
for the top 50 most populous markets from Jan. ’08 to Feb. ’09. Not all
services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network
when 3G unavailable.
2 Savings claim based on unlimited minutes option for AT&T
Nation with required Data Plan for iPhone and iPhone Text Messaging
Unlimited. Based on information available at publication date. Excludes
taxes, Sprint surcharges, fees and premium content.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5997108&lang=en
Source: Sprint
Media Contact:
Sprint
Emmy Anderson, 913-707-0618
emmy.anderson@sprint.com
