Sprint, the US network operator, is continuing to expand the range of handsets available to customers of its Vision service, adding LG’s colour 5350 model.

The 5350 can be used to access Sprint’s range of mobile services at speeds of up to 153 Kbs over the Vision CDMA2000 1x network. It supports polyphonic ringtones, J2ME, WAP 2.0 and SMS. There is 1 Mb of memory for downloadable applications, a 65,000 colour screen and external caller display.

Sprint has been adding new handsets to its portfolio since announcing its 3G service several weeks ago, working in particular with Kyocera, Samsung, LG and Handspring to provide subscribers with advanced, colour-screen models capable of high speed data transfer.

Insight

Sprint is showing itself to be the most effective marketer of 3G services in the US. The launch of Sprint PCS Vision on CDMA2000 1x technology has been followed by the swift and continuous addition of innovative handsets. The operator works closely with its handset suppliers to ensure devices reach the market on time and users have a broad choice of models to meet their requirements.

The early popularity of CDMA2000 1x for deployment of 3G services (See ‘CDMA2000 extends 3G dominance‘) means that there is a wide range of handsets with which Sprint can further extend its range. This will lead to an improvement in the overall user experience, encouraging users to access more data services and improve ARPU figures.

Mentions of CDMA2000 1x as a technology were noticeably absent from Sprint’s press release. It is commited to marketing ‘Vision’ as a service concept rather than a technology package, adopting lessons from the Japanese market. This is carefully balanced with reassurances of compatibility with existing e-mail and web services, an important consideration in a market with such high PC penetration levels as the US.