Google on March 22 announced an alliance with Sprint to add the Internet giant's online telephony capabilities to mobile phones serviced by the US telecom firm. Sprint customers will be able to have calls to their numbers simultaneously ring at multiple phones such as home or office lines or even be routed to computers through Google's free email software.
"This basically gives Sprint customers all the benefits of Google Voice without the need to change or port their number," Google software engineer Jacob Hesch said in a blog post.
Whether Sprint mobile phone users stick with original numbers or switch to Google numbers, Voice will replace Sprint voicemail and transcribe spoken messages for delivery by email or text messages. More information was available at google.com/voice/sprint.
Google on Tuesday also announced an Android-powered Nexus S handset tailored for Sprint's latest generation, high-speed 4G data network. The Google-Sprint alliance came as US anti-trust authorities scrutinised plans by AT&T to acquire T-Mobile USA for in a deal valued at $39 billion.
The deal that would allow AT&T to leapfrog Verizon Wireless and become the biggest US wireless provider.