Sprint is no stranger to forging big-name partnerships — the NASCAR Sprint Cup comes to mind — but this time the folks in Overland Park have struck a deal with a rather unexpected party. Sprint has just announced that after nine months of competition, they have been named the official wireless provider of San Diego, California.
According to the terms of the deal, Sprint will provide more than 3,000 devices to municipal staff, from their EVO series of Android phones to BlackBerrys to mobile broadband modems. Interestingly enough, iPhones don’t appear on the list of supported products, though I suspect more than a few staffers lobbied long and hard for them. Sprint, also looking to continue their focus on going green, is working to create a recycling program for all of the municipal government’s used wireless devices.
In exchange for their devices and service, Sprint stands to pick up a cool $2.6 million over the course of the city’s two-year contract. The San Diego municipal government has the option to extend the deal for up to another three years if needed, though given the strength of their competitors, it’s tough to say if Sprint can remain the most worthwhile option for the city over the next five years.
Still, Sprint has gotten a lot of mileage out of their government contracts over the years, and the addition of San Diego to the list adds to Sprint’s recent string of victories. In addition to breaking single-day sales records with the iPhone 4S, Sprint also reported solid Q3 financials a few weeks back.