Sprint Offers Wireless Service Level Agreements

Sprint said Monday that it will offer service level agreements (SLAs) for wireless services used by enterprise customers.

The SLAs will provide credits to businesses if Sprint's wireless network doesn't meet certain performance criteria, the company said in a statement. While SLAs are more common for enterprise data services, Sprint claimed it was the first operator to offer SLAs for wireless voice service.

"Wireless services are an essential part of doing business, and our customers demand commitments that their service will be available when they need it," Kathy Walker, Sprint's executive vice president for network services, said in a statement.

The SLAs would, for example, provide credits of as much as 10 percent if the national average for dropped voice calls exceeds two percent, the company said. Similar credits will be available for drops in availability of voice service and for the inability to place calls within a Sprint coverage area.

The company said it surveyed 300 business customers and found that service availability, reliability and quality were the three most important factors. In addition, 88 percent of the respondents said that SLAs for wireless service would be an important issue when selecting a wireless carrier.One analyst cited the importance of SLAs for wireless service.

"There is no going back; as companies rely ever more on wireless services, they will demand better predictability and control, backed by commitments in their carrier contracts," David Willis, vice president at META Group, said in a statement.

Sprint said it will make its performance metrics available to customers and that there may be exceptions to the SLAs in cases such as natural disasters.