Sprint plans to eliminate up to 1,100 jobs

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Sprint Corp. said Wednesday it will eliminate up to 1,100 jobs, or 1.6 percent of its work force, due to increasing competitive pressure in the long-distance market.
The company has cut more than 22,000 jobs in the past two years.
Of the latest job cuts, 850 are in the unit that provides service to businesses, with up to 250 others in jobs supporting that operation, including some in information technology.
Howard Janzen, Sprint Business Solutions president, said the cuts will be systemwide, with about half will in the Kansas City area. Sprint, based in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, employs about 70,000, including about 20,000 in the Kansas City area.
Those whose jobs are being cut will be notified by mid-July, Sprint said.
The announcement said the company also would make organizational changes to improve efficiency.
Now that the regional Bell operating companies, such as Verizon Communications Inc., can provide long-distance service in every state, the field has become increasingly competitive, Janzen said.