Earnings Preview: Sprint Nextel To Give 1Q Results

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sprint Nextel Corp. is scheduled to report first-quarter results Monday morning. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: Sprint Nextel, the country's third-largest telecommunications company, is still looking for the corner-turning moment when its troubled operation can claim it's headed back to being truly competitive in the wireless space. Its shares have been up so far this year but are still half their 52-week high of $9.94.

Since purchasing Nextel Communications Inc. in 2005, the Overland Park, Kan.-based company has struggled with technical, operational and marketing mistakes that have handicapped its ability to compete with market leaders AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless in attracting and retaining customers.

It reported losing another 1.3 million subscribers in its fiscal fourth quarter and said it expected the losses to keep coming, although it said they should be smaller than the 4.6 million customers lost throughout 2008.

After spending most of last year focused on improving a moribund reputation for customer service, Sprint has watched its ratings in those areas improve, which should slow the number of defections by customers to competitors.