Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) has directed employees not to comment to customers about the rumors that it will soon begin selling Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5, as well as the iPhone 4, according to the blog SprintFeed.
The blog posted what it claims is an internal Sprint memo directing employees to not talk about the rumors with family, friends or customers. The memo said that Sprint employees are allowed to acknowledge the rumors but are told to direct inquiries to Sprint's official newsroom website if the questions persist.
A Sprint spokesman declined to comment.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint will begin selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October. The report, which cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, also said Sprint will sell the iPhone 4 at the same time it starts selling the iPhone 5. Landing the iPhone 5 as well as the iPhone 4 could help Sprint both reduce churn and attract subscribers.
If Sprint keeps its $79.99 unlimited smartphone data plan, the carrier also could have a major leg up on Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), both of which have discontinued their unlimited data plans in favor of tiered, usage-based data plans. (Verizon launched the iPhone with unlimited data, and subsequently introduced tiered data pricing for new smartphone customers.)
For more:
- see this SprintFeed post
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