Sprint PCS Plans New Wireless Service

Mobile phone carrier Sprint PCS said it will launch a high-speed wireless data service over its nationwide network by this summer, giving customers fast, always-on connections for e-mail and Internet access.

The company, one of several carriers ramping up faster mobile services this year, unveiled details of the launch and showed off games, photo transmission and MP3 songs going over its new network at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Chief Executive William Esrey said the new wireless service will offer users peak data speeds up to 144 kilobits per second--about three times faster than the typical home Internet connection. While actual speeds will not be that high, Esrey said the improvement will make it easy for customers to retrieve and send e-mail and attachments through wireless connections and a laptop, personal digital assistant or mobile phone.

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Elizabeth Douglass