• Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, December 7, 2010 10:45 AM

Sprint Nextel will begin shuttering its Nextel network in 2013, a move that is expected to eliminate the need to juggle incompatible network technologies. It chose three companies to integrate its wireless technologies into a single network, a move that Sprint estimates will save it up to $11 billion over the next seven years.

The phase-out of its iDEN network alone will account for as much as 40% of the total cost savings. The project also positions it to make an easier move into fourth-generation wireless services, beyond tapping partner Clearwire Corp.'s 4G network.

Sprint, meanwhile, got some great news from Consumer Reports, which is rating the third-largest U.S. wireless carrier nearly even with Verizon, a sign that its efforts to improve service and grow its lineup of devices are working. Verizon came in second, behind U.S. Cellular Corp., which has just 6.1 million customers, compared with Verizon's 93.2 million. AT&T was ranked worst.

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