Position as the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. and a national footprint; Improving post-paid subscriber trends should contribute to modest revenue growth; Strong spectrum position; and Industry-leading data penetration. Aggressive financial risk profile characterized by elevated leverage; Uncertainty related to funding plans for majority-owned Clearwire; Weak profitability measures compared with peers; Significant competition from other wireless carriers; and High churn relative to peers. The ratings on Overland Park, Kan.-based wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. reflect an aggressive financial risk profile characterized by its elevated leverage of about 4.8x debt to EBITDA, including Standard&Poor's Ratings Services' adjustments, and uncertainty related to future funding plans for majority-owned wholesale partner Clearwire Corp. The ratings also reflect weak profitability measures relative
