In a move to force us to get all our media and communication services from just one source in the future, Sprint Nextel has announced a deal with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse Communications. This new "wireless joint venture" will now allow you to bundle your wireless service along with your cable, broadband and digital phone, making it easier to pay one bill and for these cable companies to finally compete better with regional Bells that have been slowly forcing their way into TV services. Between these cable companies, about 41 million people will have access to the new services, along with the 46 million wireless customers Sprint now has.
The companies also plan on developing and co-branding new wireless devices that they hope will integrate cable TV with wireless, then sell these products through Sprint channels. The phones will obviously take advantage of Sprint's EV-DO network.
Customers using the converged services will be able to seamlessly interface between email, home and mobile voicemail, Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and photo programs.
And of course, in each market, the cable company will be responsible for billing customers. Nearly jumping up and down with glee, Gary Forsee, president and CEO of Sprint Nextel said:
The new Sprint-cable partnerships will forever transform what used to be merely a cell phone into an indispensable third screen in customer's lives. By giving consumers more access to information, entertainment and data from their cell phone, we will create more loyal customers, and we'll further drive our growth. With the convergence of technologies and capabilities accelerating, we will create personalized content, useful innovative applications and easy-to-understand navigation required by consumers. Together with our cable partners, we will have the unique content and distribution assets to realize this opportunity.