To control costs, reduce the time it takes to set up and maintain mobile devices, and to more easily manage employees’ wireless usage, Advanced Disposal Services has chosen to utilize mobile phones and tablets from nationwide carrier Sprint for all of its employees.

The two companies recently announced an enterprise agreement that includes the Sprint Direct Connect push-to-talk service and leverages Sprint’s Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solution, which offers unlimited voice calling and text messaging, a pooled or unlimited data options, and several value-added services.

“By signing an enterprise agreement with Sprint, we have been able to negotiate better pricing and thus reduce our overall cellular costs,” says Rakesh Gupta, vice president of information technology for Advanced Disposal Services Inc.

David Aspinall, Sprint region president of South Area Enterprise based in Dallas at Sprint’s Central Texas region headquarters, says predictability will be key in the new agreement.

The company “will have one cost effective, predictable monthly payment, a major priority for many companies who need to be conscious about their bottom line. The MaaS solution helps to boost cost transparency,” he says.

Advanced Disposal Services, based in Ponte Vedra, Fla., already has been able to reduce costs by replacing its two-way radio system with Sprint cellular phones, according to Gupta.

“We have been able to use the PTT technology for our route supervisors and also use in-cab tablets for mobile route management,” he says.

Sprint Direct Connect is a push-to-talk connectivity solution that can work on a smartphone for complementing productivity apps or with the rugged design of a mil-spec device in tough environments. Advanced Disposal Services’ employees using these devices can get one-to-one and group push-to-talk calling, guaranteed talk permit, availability notification and talker priority.

MaaS is a bundled “as-a-service” offer for companies that equip their workers with mobile devices and service. It packages an “all-in” bundle that includes a mobile device, service plan and enhanced support capabilities for a single, predictable, monthly price per employee.

“MaaS is a ‘bold new way to get wireless to employees’ as it eliminates the up-front charges of acquiring devices and offers more wireless services and support features than any other mobility bundle in the marketplace today. This as-a-service model truly integrates offerings to deliver best-in-class value and customer service,” says Aspinall. “While any carrier can provide phones and service, with MaaS, Sprint utilized a proactive, consultative approach to build a comprehensive solution that meets the needs of Advanced Disposal Services and the community it serves. We’re providing solutions that position ADS for growth while saving them money.”

Aspinall says Sprint has revamped its offerings to accommodate the changing landscape of mobility in business.

“It’s a mobile world and the way that people get work done is changing. So Sprint has changed the way we deliver our solutions, too. The assumption for too many businesses is that it’s too expensive to provide their employees with smartphones or if they do provide them it will be a drain on their own IT resources,” he says. “For example, in many businesses the IT help desk is already short-staffed, so MaaS offers an opportunity to offload some of that burden. Sprint will be responsible for things like preconfiguring phones, updating software and installing required apps before delivering devices to users. And, the company can then focus their energy and resources on their core business.”