On Thursday, Hesse described iDEN as a key differentiator for Sprint, pointing to Nextel Direct Connect, the pioneer of "push-to-talk" systems, which turns cell phones into walkie-talkies. Sprint has extended the Direct Connect feature to some of its own CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) phones.

Sprint also plans to push its Boost Mobile prepaid service, which is offered on the iDEN network, introducing a lower per-minute rate and other pricing options. Early next year it will offer Boost Unlimited for iDEN, with a nationwide home calling area for one monthly fee.