Big companies need insights on how to start such projects, how to integrate them into legacy systems and how to take "a total systems approach," he added.

Halbert said Sprint will be a large integrator that will "absolutely have subcontractors." For example, the subsidiary might hire a small contractor to put a sales force automation tool on a handheld, he said.

About half the applications Sprint will provide will be custom-made for customers, while the other half would be off-the-shelf, Halbert said. But he said the subsidiary "won't be a product development shop" and will instead "intercept and work with key players, such as the Ciscos, the Nortels and the Nokias. ... Our opportunity is to be an early mover."

The new subsidiary is "already working with some customers," but none have agreed to go public, he said.

Sprint Enterprise Mobility's biggest obstacle, both Signorini and Entner agreed, will be to convince customers that it is not consulting to sell Sprint services and products. "A big question mark is how closely tied is the new entity to Sprint products and services?" Signorini asked. "If they are hawking Sprint services, they lose credibility."