sprint corp: 2q14 review: churn and pricing risks cloud ...€¦ · sprint corp 2q14 review: churn...

29
[email protected] [email protected] MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC Simon Flannery +1 212 761-6432 Daniel Rodriguez +1 212 761-6648 July 31, 2014 Sprint Corp Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook As expected, weak business trends continued into 2Q14. While Sprint expects to return to postpaid subscriber growth in 4Q14, there are many moving parts that create uncertainty around the likelihood of such a turnaround. Nonetheless, Sprint continues to find support from potential M&A. Monitoring churn and pricing changes. Sprint's stock was down 3% yesterday, likely on the significant 2Q postpaid phone sub losses coupled with a lack of clarity into a material turnaround in business trends. Sprint expects to return to positive postpaid net adds in 4Q14 driven primarily by churn improvements. Until then, investors may have to stomach another quarter of postpaid churn headwinds, as the company expects churn to increase sequentially in 3Q14. However, the upward pressure may be less than the historical avg. due to better network performance. It is also possible that the rebound in postpaid net adds in 4Q could be driven by aggressive pricing actions, which the company is currently trialing in various markets. Guidance is subject to change. In our view, the commentary around potential pricing changes heading into the holiday season is an important implication for the wireless industry. Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the majority of the market disruption, causing others to respond. If we fast forward to an environment that includes both T-Mobile and Sprint competing aggressively, this increases the risk around wireless price wars. On the earnings call, Sprint stated that “while this adjusted EBITDA guidance doesn't assume a change in our postpaid rate card for this year, any proposed changes would be made only after evaluating our market test results and determining that they should be long-term accretive for the business.” Patiently waiting on M&A. Sprint did not provide commentary on a potential deal with T-Mobile, which various media sources (CNN / Reuters) have reported may be announced in September. We acknowledge that a potential Sprint / T-Mobile merger could offer dramatic synergy opportunities (annual cost synergies of some $3bn+), but we continue to believe there are significant obstacles around completing such a deal, particularly on the regulatory front (click here for our note on a potential Sprint / T-Mobile click here for our note on a potential Sprint / T-Mobile dea deal). T-Mobile has continued to act aggressively in the marketplace, and Sprint is evaluating potential pricing changes in coming months, which could complicate the regulatory approval process as the companies would be seen as key drivers behind rising wireless competition. What’s Next: T-Mo reports 2Q results today. Sprint plans to hold a media event on August 19. Morgan Stanley does and seeks to do business with companies covered in Morgan Stanley Research. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of Morgan Stanley Research. Investors should consider Morgan Stanley Research as only a single factor in making their investment decision. For analyst certification and other important disclosures, For analyst certification and other important disclosures, refer to the Disclosure Section, located at the end of this refer to the Disclosure Section, located at the end of this report. report. | July 31, 2014 Sprint Corp 1

Upload: lamdung

Post on 27-Apr-2018

218 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

[email protected]

[email protected]

MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC

Simon Flannery+1 212 761-6432

Daniel Rodriguez+1 212 761-6648

July 31, 2014

Sprint CorpSprint Corp

2Q14 Review: Churn and PricingRisks Cloud OutlookAs expected, weak business trends continued into2Q14. While Sprint expects to return to postpaidsubscriber growth in 4Q14, there are many movingparts that create uncertainty around the likelihood ofsuch a turnaround. Nonetheless, Sprint continues tofind support from potential M&A.

Monitoring churn and pricing changes. Sprint's stock was down 3%yesterday, likely on the significant 2Q postpaid phone sub losses coupled witha lack of clarity into a material turnaround in business trends. Sprint expects toreturn to positive postpaid net adds in 4Q14 driven primarily by churnimprovements. Until then, investors may have to stomach another quarter ofpostpaid churn headwinds, as the company expects churn to increasesequentially in 3Q14. However, the upward pressure may be less than thehistorical avg. due to better network performance. It is also possible that therebound in postpaid net adds in 4Q could be driven by aggressive pricingactions, which the company is currently trialing in various markets.

Guidance is subject to change. In our view, the commentary aroundpotential pricing changes heading into the holiday season is an importantimplication for the wireless industry. Until now, T-Mobile has been driving themajority of the market disruption, causing others to respond. If we fast forwardto an environment that includes both T-Mobile and Sprint competingaggressively, this increases the risk around wireless price wars. On theearnings call, Sprint stated that “while this adjusted EBITDA guidance doesn'tassume a change in our postpaid rate card for this year, any proposedchanges would be made only after evaluating our market test results anddetermining that they should be long-term accretive for the business.”

Patiently waiting on M&A. Sprint did not provide commentary on apotential deal with T-Mobile, which various media sources (CNN / Reuters)have reported may be announced in September. We acknowledge that apotential Sprint / T-Mobile merger could offer dramatic synergy opportunities(annual cost synergies of some $3bn+), but we continue to believe there aresignificant obstacles around completing such a deal, particularly on theregulatory front (click here for our note on a potential Sprint / T-Mobileclick here for our note on a potential Sprint / T-Mobiledeadeal). T-Mobile has continued to act aggressively in the marketplace, andSprint is evaluating potential pricing changes in coming months, which couldcomplicate the regulatory approval process as the companies would be seenas key drivers behind rising wireless competition.

What’s Next: T-Mo reports 2Q results today. Sprint plans to hold a mediaevent on August 19.

Morgan Stanley does and seeks to do business withcompanies covered in Morgan Stanley Research. As a result,investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflictof interest that could affect the objectivity of MorganStanley Research. Investors should consider MorganStanley Research as only a single factor in making theirinvestment decision.For analyst certification and other important disclosures,For analyst certification and other important disclosures,refer to the Disclosure Section, located at the end of thisrefer to the Disclosure Section, located at the end of thisreport.report.

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

1

Page 2: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Bull $112015E EV / EBITDA(Standalone)8.5x

Pristine execution drives a solid recovery and / or M&Acreates value: Sprint realizes significant revenue and opexsynergies from the Softbank / CLWR deals. Capex remainselevated, though the investment pays off helping drive subscriberand ARPU growth, and in turn, EBITDA margins increasesubstantially. Sprint is perceived to have strategic value in anindustry that has seen much consolidation.

Base $52015E EV / EBITDA:6.5x

Margin rebound, but below bullish expectations: The balancesheet remains challenged with leverage north of 4.0x long-term.Network performance is a near-term issue keeping capex elevated,while Sprint invests substantially to build out Clearwire’s TDD-LTEand 2.5 GHz spectrum. Accordingly, free cash flow is pressureddespite a solid EBITDA rebound, while ARPU and subscriberheadwinds persist.

Bear $32015E EV / EBITDA 5.5x

Competition and network issues take a toll on growth: Postpaidchurn remains problematic. Revenues fall at a fast clip as postpaidARPU and subscriber growth see substantial headwinds, whileSprint becomes aggressive on pricing in an attempt to take share.Network Vision savings are lighter than expected keeping EBITDAgrowth in check, while capex remains elevated driving substantialFCF pressure.

Investment ThesisInvestment Thesis

Wireless industry growth is slowing, withpenetration at +100%. New subscribers to theindustry are generally of lower value.

Sprint’s competitive position is challenged. Weexpect strong competition from industry peerswho have eclipsed Sprint’s footprint with 4G / LTEto pressure growth.

Sprint plans to spend billions of dollars over thenext several years upgrading its network andacquiring subs. In our view, these projects andreinvestments carry high execution and FCF risks.

Top line growth should slow given saturation ofthe (1) service plans with the $10 price increasefrom Feb. 2011 and (2) postpaid smartphonesubscriber base. We also expect margin pressurefrom subscriber acquisitions and near-termpressure from the Network Vision project, thoughadj. EBITDA should find support from Vision costsavings.

Key Value DriversKey Value Drivers

ARPU support and postpaid and prepaid sharegains

A well executed 4G / LTE build

Network Vision drives substantial 3G / 4G roamingcost savings

M&A and / or spectrum acquisitions

Potential CatalystsPotential Catalysts

Network Vision opex savings are better / worsethan expected

4G / LTE market launches

Network sharing deal

Significant synergies from the Softbank / Clearwiredeals

Spectrum purchases and / or M&A

Softbank repurchases shares until reaching 85%ownership vs. ~80% today

Potential RisksPotential Risks

Network Vision execution risks

Network quality is an issue driving Sprint toremove its unlimited data offering

Cash uses: $15.5bn Apple purchase commitment,spectrum costs, and large net debt balance andFCF burn

Risk-Reward Snapshot: Sprint Nextel (S, $7.76, UW, PT $5.00)Risk-Reward Snapshot: Sprint Nextel (S, $7.76, UW, PT $5.00)

Risk-Reward View: Secular Challenges Remain

Sou rce: Compan y data , Th omson Reu ters, Morgan Stan ley Research

Exhibit 1:Exhibit 1:

Sprint Trading Metrics Relative to Other Wireless Carriers

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research . (1) FCF = EB ITDA - capex - n et in terest expen se - w o rk in g cap ita lch an ges

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

2

Page 3: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Dilution from Clearwire

Industry price war

Key Investment DebatesKey Investment Debates

Debate 1: Can Sprint take Share from Big 4 Peers?Debate 1: Can Sprint take Share from Big 4 Peers?

Market View: Potentially. Although there is downside risk from a price war, a turnaround in subscribergrowth is likely. Softbank could implement an innovative strategy to take share from the US Bells (Verizon andAT&T) and T-Mobile (fourth national player).

Our View: Tough battle ahead. Softbank (covered by Tetsuro Tsusaka in Japan) has acknowledged thechallenge in reversing postpaid subscriber losses given the current US wireless industry structure, whichremains segmented with the larger two national players (Verizon and AT&T) dominant in terms of subscribershare and profitability. Meanwhile, T-Mobile has emerged as an aggressive and disruptive fourth nationalplayer, returning to postpaid subscriber growth in recent quarters. This has left Sprint in a tough position, andaccordingly, we expect competitive and churn headwinds to persist in the near-term until Sprint can deliverbetter network performance with its CDMA and 4G / LTE network upgrades. The Sprint Spark (tri-band networkusing 2500/1900/800 MHz) and Network Vision projects should be able to provide customers with competitivenetwork speeds and quality. However, we expect it will take time to reap the full benefits of Spark, as Sprintplans to cover only 100M POPs by year-end 2014. Strategically, we believe a potential Sprint turnaround ispredicated on the innovative strategies that Softbank and Sprint management implement in the U.S. Softbankhas highlighted network performance, devices, sales and branding, and services / content as the four key pillarsthat will allow it to compete more effectively. Softbank's turnaround of Vodafone Japan has been impressive,and there are lessons that Sprint can learn from the Japanese experience, as well as Softbank's extensiveinternet expertise. Nevertheless, a maturing US wireless industry and rising competition may make itchallenging for Softbank to engineer a similar performance in the U.S. as to when it entered Japan.

2Q impact on our views: Although Sprint platform postpaid subscriber losses of 181k were better than MSeand consensus, postpaid phone net adds / other were -646k / -70k; low ARPU postpaid tablet net adds were535k in 2Q14. The postpaid phone headwinds were driven primarily by churn pressure, which continues to beelevated due to network performance issues. Although the company expects voluntary churn improvements in2H14, churn is expected increase Q/Q in 3Q14 due to seasonal headwinds, while we had previously anticipateda sequential decrease in Sprint platform postpaid churn of 15 bps. That said, the company expects to reachpositive postpaid net adds in 4Q14, which could be achievable if Sprint decides to launch new aggressive pricingplans; the company is currently testing various pricing options in certain markets.

Where we could be wrong: 1) Sprint takes substantial sub share; 2) Sprint is able to deploy the 2.5 GHzspectrum and TDD-LTE faster than initially expected. 3) Peers' face network / customer satisfaction issuesdriving churn higher.

Debate 2: How is the Balance Sheet Positioned?Debate 2: How is the Balance Sheet Positioned?

Market View: There is downside support and upside potential from: 1 ) Softbank's strategic investment(owns ~80% of Sprint shares); 2) a ramp in adj. EBITDA from Network Vision cost savings; 3) synergies from theSoftbank deal; 4) network improvements that should drive postpaid subscriber growth longer-term.

Our View: Challenged. Though cost savings from Network Vision could help profitability, we expect free cashflow headwinds from: 1) continued weak top line growth, 2) uncertain synergy realization from the Softbank /Clearwire deals, 3) substantial capex to upgrade Sprint's CDMA network and transition to 4G / LTE, 4) near-termworking capital requirements related to the shift to installment plans, and 5) the company's high level of

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

3

Page 4: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

indebtedness. Although we expect adj. EBITDA to grow substantially over the next few years, a service plan pricewar is a key risk to underlying trends. We believe there could be variability in consensus opex projections givenuncertainty around Softbank / Clearwire synergies and Network Vision savings. Softbank and Sprint seem keenon accelerating the network build with the hope of turning around business trends. In the past, Sprint hashighlighted that $6B of capex reflects a maintenance level with an implied 15% capex intensity. Accordingly,network reinvestment is a key risk, while we believe there could be further balance sheet headwinds fromspectrum acquisitions.

2Q impact on our views: Although free cash flow (FCF) was better than our expectations, the company sawFCF burn of $567M despite having lower capex vs. the prior year quarter and higher EBITDA, as a greaterworking capital requirement from installment plans partly weighed on FCF. We believe the company will rampcapex throughout the year as it continues to densify the 4G / LTE network and deploy the tri-band band 'Spark'network. Sprint lowered it capex guidance from $8.0B to less than $7.0B (MSe: $8.0B) on better pricing, whichshould help FCF trends, while there is also some downside support from improving adj. EBITDA trends as costefficiencies kick-in. Sprint reiterated its adj. EBITDA guidance of $6.7-6.9B. However, the guidance is subject tochange if plan prices are changed later this year heading into the holiday season. Sprint is currently testingvarious pricing options and may make changes later in the year in order to respond to the flurry of recentpricing and promotional activity from competitors. We will be monitoring Sprint's accounts receivable, whichshould trend higher on installment plans. Bad debt expense increased 127% Y/Y to $225M in 2Q14 primarilydue to the new Easy Pay / Framily installment plans, which saw a take rate of ~28% (flat Q/Q). Bad debt writeoffs per account are increasing with more devices.

Where we could be wrong: 1) Sprint could drive substantial share gains and top line growth; 2) Greater thanexpected cost savings and synergies are realized.

Debate 3: Will Sprint do Another Deal?Debate 3: Will Sprint do Another Deal?

Market View: A deal announcement is imminent, although deal consummation is a wild card. In earlyJune, Bloomberg and the WSJ reported that Sprint and T-Mobile were exploring a merger deal (neithercompany has commented) that would value T-Mobile at around $40 per share for 50% cash and 50% equity.CNN and Reuters have recently highlighted that a deal could be announced in mid-September. The financial andoperational benefits of acquiring T-Mobile are substantial. Separately, further spectrum acquisitions are anotherarea of interest.

Our View: Challenged. A Sprint / T-Mobile merger could offer dramatic synergy opportunities. We see annualcost synergies of some $3bn+ per year from streamlining network, distribution, branding amongst otherfactors. Merger integration is never easy, but we believe this would be an easier integration than Sprint/Nexteldespite differing underlying 3G technologies. A successful deal could offer material upside for Sprint and T-Mobile shareholders in our view, while it could have dramatic implications for the industry overall with mostwireless carriers potentially benefitting. Equipment providers, those with spectrum holdings, and towercompanies could face some challenges, although the towers would find support from leases that are between 7-8 years and continued traffic growth. At the same time, there are significant downside risks around a potentialSprint / T-Mobile merger. We believe the FCC and DoJ have demonstrated their concerns over further industryconsolidation amongst the major players, through prior decisions and actions ahead of upcoming spectrumauctions. Traditional HHI measures also suggest significant retail market concentration. While T-Mobile's strongmomentum and Sprint's commitment to the Spark network rollout and testing of new pricing plans suggest thatcompetition among all players is robust, the deal review process could distract the companies from theirmanagement, network planning, spectrum strategy and other initiatives. Refer to our Sprint / T-Mobile deepdive note around a potential merger titled, “Sprint / T-Mobile: What to Expect for Wireless 'Framily,'” publishedon July 9, 2014 (click here for the reportclick here for the report).

In the meantime, there are also upcoming spectrum auctions - AWS-3 (November 13, 2014) and broadcastincentive auction (mid-2015). On a standalone basis, we believe Sprint and T-Mobile's participation in the AWSauction could be limited, as the companies would focus much of their financial resources for the low-band

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

4

Page 5: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

broadcast auction, which would be strategically more beneficial to both companies. Interestingly, a WSJ articlerecently highlighted that Sprint and T-Mobile were exploring a potential JV to raise ~$10B in debt in order toparticipate in the upcoming broadcast incentive auction. A JV could have implications on a potential mergerannouncement, the FCC's final rules for the auction, and total auction proceeds (neither company hascommented).

2Q impact on our views: Management did not comment on potential M&A or spectrum auctions.

Where we could be wrong: 1) The regulatory environment becomes less uncertain; 2) Spectrum is no longera strategic focus; 3) Balance sheet pressures prevent Sprint from participating in M&A.

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

5

Page 6: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Key ChartsKey Charts

Financial ChartsFinancial Charts

Exhibit 2:Exhibit 2:

Sprint Platform Postpaid ARPU Decline of -3.3% Y/Y, Prepaid and Postpaid Sub Losses, and aGreater Mix of Installment Plans Drive a 3.7% Y/Y Decline in Service Revenues

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: MS ca lcu lation fo r to ta l postpaid ARPU ; p ro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire from 3Q 13on w ards

Exhibit 3:Exhibit 3:

Consolidated Adj. EBITDA Margin Increases 475 bps Y/Y to 20.8% in 2Q14 on a Strong WirelessMargin Increase of 771 bps to 25.3%

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire from 3Q 13 on w ards

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

6

Page 7: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 4:Exhibit 4:

Cost of Service as a % of Service Revenues Falls to 29% in 2Q14, Down from 31% in 1Q14 and2Q13

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire from 3Q 13 on w ards

Exhibit 5:Exhibit 5:

Bad Debt Expense Increases Substantially Y/Y Primarily on Installment Plans

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

7

Page 8: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Operating ChartsOperating Charts

Exhibit 6:Exhibit 6:

Sprint Posts a 7th Straight Quarter of Free Cash Flow Burn in 2Q14 of $608M

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research *FCF = O CF less capex an d expen d itu res fo r spectru m licen ses Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an dClearw ire from 3Q 13 on w ards

Exhibit 7:Exhibit 7:

Total Postpaid Subscriber Losses of 245k in 2Q14 (181k Sprint Platform Sub Losses) Persist for a10th Straight Qtr. Despite 535k Postpaid Tablet Net Adds

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

8

Page 9: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 8:Exhibit 8:

Improvement in Postpaid Net Adds (Y/Y Change) Slows in 2Q14

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research

Exhibit 9:Exhibit 9:

Sprint Platform Postpaid Churn Increases 22 bps Y/Y to 2.05%, Reflecting the Highest PostpaidChurn Level Among the Big 4 Carriers

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

9

Page 10: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 10:Exhibit 10:

Postpaid Gross Adds Increase for a Third Straight Quarter by 19% Y/Y Partially Helped by TabletMomentum

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research

Exhibit 11:Exhibit 11:

Sprint Market Share of Big 4 Postpaid Gross Adds Likely Improved Modestly Y/Y from 15.0% in2Q13 to 15.8% in 2Q14

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: T-Mob ile is a MSe fo r 2Q 14

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

10

Page 11: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 12:Exhibit 12:

Lifeline / Assurance Churn Drives Sprint Platform Prepaid Subscriber Losses of 542k in 2Q14

Sou rce:Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

11

Page 12: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Key MS Estimates ChangesKey MS Estimates Changes

Exhibit 13:Exhibit 13:

MS Estimate Changes (2014E-2016E)

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research E= Morgan Stan ley Research Estimate

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

12

Page 13: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

2Q14 Highlights – What We Liked / What We Did Not Like2Q14 Highlights – What We Liked / What We Did Not Like

What We Liked

LTE / Network: Sprint now covers 254M POPs with 4G / LTE, meeting the company's target of 250MPOPs by mid-year. Looking ahead, Sprint accelerated that rollout of 3x carrier aggregation to 1H15 (2H15prior). On Spark, Sprint continues to plan to cover 100M POPs with the tri-band network by year-end. Thecompany highlighted that 8T8R field testing was complete and the deployment is ramping.

Capex: Sprint now expects capex to be below $7.0B in 2014 vs. the prior guidance of $8.0B. Capital spendwas substantially below MS and consensus expectations in 2Q14. The company highlighted that it expects

Exhibit 14:Exhibit 14:

2Q14 Actual Results vs. Expectations and What We Liked / What We Did Not Like

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research E= Morgan Stan ley Research Estimate

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

13

Page 14: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

to increase spend in 2H14.

Guidance: Sprint reiterated adj. EBITDA guidance of $6.7-6.9B, although this is subject to change as theguidance does not assume any postpaid rate plan changes. The company highlighted that it is “closelyevaluating the competitive landscape and our positioning in light of our goal to be postpaid net addspositive in the fourth quarter.”

What We Did Not Like

Postpaid subscriber losses: Although Sprint platform postpaid subscriber losses of 181k were betterthan MSe and consensus, postpaid phone net adds / other were -646k / -70k; low ARPU postpaid tabletnet adds were 535k in 2Q14. That said, the company expects to reach positive postpaid net adds in 4Q14.

Postpaid churn: Sprint management highlighted that postpaid churn continues to be elevated due tonetwork performance issues. The company expects voluntary churn improvements in 2H14 but forvoluntary churn to increase Q/Q in 3Q14 due to seasonal headwinds. Sprint stated, “Over the last five plusyears we have experienced an average seasonal churn increase of approximately 20 basis points from thesecond to the third quarter. Our sequentially reducing voluntary churn, we now expect to mitigate half ofthat normal seasonal increase as we look to the third quarter.

Prepaid subscriber losses: Sprint platform lost 542k subscribers due to Lifeline / Assurance relatedchurn.

Potential price cuts: Sprint is currently testing various pricing options and may make changes later in theyear in order to respond to the flurry of recent pricing and promotional activity from competitors.

Bad debt expense: Bad debt expense increased 127% Y/Y to $225M in 2Q14.

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

14

Page 15: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Earnings ImpressionEarnings Impression

Exhibit 15:Exhibit 15:

MS Earnings Impression of Sprint 2Q14 Earnings

Sou rce: Morgan Stan ley Research

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

15

Page 16: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Sprint Financial Statements and Performance StatisticsSprint Financial Statements and Performance Statistics

Valuation Methodology

We derive our 12-month forward price target of $5 from a target enterprise value-to-EBITDA multiple of 6.5x onour 2015E Adj. EBITDA estimate of $7.67B. We consider these assumptions reasonable relative to the 2015Ewireless comparable average of 6.7x and believe our valuation methodology is balanced in light of ourexpectations that Sprint will see substantial free cash flow burn over the next several years coupled with highleverage in an industry that should face continued competitive pressures. In our view, Sprint could see furtherheadwinds from wireless maturation, a challenged competitive positioning relative to peers, significant cashoutlays to invest in the network to deploy both FDD and TDD-LTE technology, lack of low and mid-bandspectrum assets and handset subsidies.

Investment Risks for Sprint Corp.

Risks for Sprint include: 1) Subscriber losses; 2) slowing wireless industry growth and the related increase incompetition; 3) its high ARPU is proving susceptible in a rising competitive environment; 4) additional capitalraises; 5) high leverage; 6) capital expenditures to resolve network quality issues; and 7) M&A

Exhibit 16:Exhibit 16:

Sprint Corp. Valuation, Pro-forma for Softbank and Clearwire (All Values in MM, Except per-shareAmounts)

Sou rce: Morgan Stan ley Research , Th omson Reu ters E= Morgan Stan ley Research Estimate Note: Con sen su s EB ITDA as o f 07/1/14

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

16

Page 17: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 17:Exhibit 17:

Sprint Consolidated Quarterly Income Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13 E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

17

Page 18: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 18:Exhibit 18:

Sprint Consolidated Annual Income Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13 E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

18

Page 19: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 19:Exhibit 19:

Sprint Cash Flow Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13 E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

19

Page 20: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 20:Exhibit 20:

Sprint Balance Sheet ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13 E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

Exhibit 21:Exhibit 21:

Sprint Quarterly Wireless Income Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

20

Page 21: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 22:Exhibit 22:

Sprint GMG Quarterly Income Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13 E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

21

Page 22: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 23:Exhibit 23:

Sprint Quarterly Wireless Performance Statistics

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13; tran saction su bscribers ref lect U SMan d CLW R

Exhibit 24:Exhibit 24:

Sprint Annual Wireless Income Statement ($ in millions)

Sou rce: Compan y data , Morgan Stan ley Research E= Morgan Stan ley Estimates Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

22

Page 23: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 25:Exhibit 25:

Sprint GMG Annual Income Statement ($ in millions)

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

23

Page 24: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Exhibit 26:Exhibit 26:

Sprint Annual Wireless Performance Statistics

Sou rce: Compan y Data , Morgan Stan ley Research Note: Pro -fo rma fo r So ftban k an d Clearw ire beg in n in g in 3Q 13; tran saction su bscribers ref lect U SMan d CLW R

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

24

Page 25: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Disclosure SectionThe information and opinions in Morgan Stanley Research were prepared by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, and/or Morgan Stanley C.T.V.M. S.A., and/orMorgan Stanley Mexico, Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V., and/or Morgan Stanley Canada Limited. As used in this disclosure section, "Morgan Stanley"includes Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley C.T.V.M. S.A., Morgan Stanley Mexico, Casa de Bolsa, S.A. de C.V., Morgan Stanley CanadaLimited and their affiliates as necessary.For important disclosures, stock price charts and equity rating histories regarding companies that are the subject of this report, please see the MorganStanley Research Disclosure Website at www.morganstanley.com/researchdisclosures, or contact your investment representative or Morgan StanleyResearch at 1585 Broadway, (Attention: Research Management), New York, NY, 10036 USA.For valuation methodology and risks associated with any price targets referenced in this research report, please contact the Client Support Team as follows:US/Canada +1 800 303-2495; Hong Kong +852 2848-5999; Latin America +1 718 754-5444 (U.S.); London +44 (0)20-7425-8169; Singapore +65 6834-6860;Sydney +61 (0)2-9770-1505; Tokyo +81 (0)3-6836-9000. Alternatively you may contact your investment representative or Morgan Stanley Research at 1585Broadway, (Attention: Research Management), New York, NY 10036 USA.Analyst CertificationThe following analysts hereby certify that their views about the companies and their securities discussed in this report are accurately expressed and thatthey have not received and will not receive direct or indirect compensation in exchange for expressing specific recommendations or views in this report:Simon Flannery.Unless otherwise stated, the individuals listed on the cover page of this report are research analysts.Global Research Conflict Management PolicyMorgan Stanley Research has been published in accordance with our conflict management policy, which is available atwww.morganstanley.com/institutional/research/conflictpolicies.Important US Regulatory Disclosures on Subject CompaniesAs of June 30, 2014, Morgan Stanley beneficially owned 1% or more of a class of common equity securities of the following companies covered in MorganStanley Research: American Tower Corp., CenturyLink, Inc., Crown Castle Corp., Gogo Inc, Inteliquent.Within the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley managed or co-managed a public offering (or 144A offering) of securities of American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc.,CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., Crown Castle Corp., CyrusOne Inc, Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., Level 3 Communications, Inc., QTSRealty Trust Inc, T-Mobile US, Inc., tw telecom inc, Verizon Communications.Within the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley has received compensation for investment banking services from American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc.,CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., Crown Castle Corp., CyrusOne Inc, Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., Frontier Communications Corp,Inteliquent, Intelsat S.A., Level 3 Communications, Inc., QTS Realty Trust Inc, T-Mobile US, Inc., tw telecom inc, Verizon Communications.In the next 3 months, Morgan Stanley expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from American Tower Corp.,AT&T, Inc., BCE Inc., CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., Crown Castle Corp., CyrusOne Inc, Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., Equinix Inc.,Frontier Communications Corp, Gogo Inc, Inteliquent, Intelsat S.A., Level 3 Communications, Inc., QTS Realty Trust Inc, Rackspace Hosting, Inc., RogersCommunications, Inc., SBA Communications, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US, Inc., Telephone & Data Systems, TELUS Corp., tw telecom inc, VerizonCommunications, Windstream Corp..Within the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley has received compensation for products and services other than investment banking services from AT&T, Inc.,CenturyLink, Inc., Crown Castle Corp., Frontier Communications Corp, Intelsat S.A., QTS Realty Trust Inc, TELUS Corp., tw telecom inc, VerizonCommunications.Within the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley has provided or is providing investment banking services to, or has an investment banking client relationshipwith, the following company: American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc., BCE Inc., CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., Crown Castle Corp., CyrusOne Inc,Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., Equinix Inc., Frontier Communications Corp, Gogo Inc, Inteliquent, Intelsat S.A., Level 3 Communications,Inc., QTS Realty Trust Inc, Rackspace Hosting, Inc., Rogers Communications, Inc., SBA Communications, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US, Inc., Telephone &Data Systems, TELUS Corp., tw telecom inc, Verizon Communications, Windstream Corp..Within the last 12 months, Morgan Stanley has either provided or is providing non-investment banking, securities-related services to and/or in the past hasentered into an agreement to provide services or has a client relationship with the following company: American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc., BCE Inc.,CenturyLink, Inc., Crown Castle Corp., Frontier Communications Corp, Inteliquent, Intelsat S.A., Level 3 Communications, Inc., QTS Realty Trust Inc,Sprint Corp, TELUS Corp., tw telecom inc, Verizon Communications.An employee, director or consultant of Morgan Stanley is a director of AT&T, Inc., Verizon Communications. This person is not a research analyst or amember of a research analyst's household.Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC makes a market in the securities of American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc., BCE Inc., CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., CrownCastle Corp., CyrusOne Inc, Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc., Equinix Inc., Frontier Communications Corp, Gogo Inc, Inteliquent, Intelsat S.A.,Level 3 Communications, Inc., QTS Realty Trust Inc, Rackspace Hosting, Inc., Rogers Communications, Inc., SBA Communications, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US, Inc., Telephone & Data Systems, TELUS Corp., tw telecom inc, US Cellular Corporation, Verizon Communications, Windstream Corp..The equity research analysts or strategists principally responsible for the preparation of Morgan Stanley Research have received compensation based uponvarious factors, including quality of research, investor client feedback, stock picking, competitive factors, firm revenues and overall investment bankingrevenues.Morgan Stanley and its affiliates do business that relates to companies/instruments covered in Morgan Stanley Research, including market making,providing liquidity and specialized trading, risk arbitrage and other proprietary trading, fund management, commercial banking, extension of credit,investment services and investment banking. Morgan Stanley sells to and buys from customers the securities/instruments of companies covered in MorganStanley Research on a principal basis. Morgan Stanley may have a position in the debt of the Company or instruments discussed in this report.Certain disclosures listed above are also for compliance with applicable regulations in non-US jurisdictions.STOCK RATINGSMorgan Stanley uses a relative rating system using terms such as Overweight, Equal-weight, Not-Rated or Underweight (see definitions below). MorganStanley does not assign ratings of Buy, Hold or Sell to the stocks we cover. Overweight, Equal-weight, Not-Rated and Underweight are not the equivalent ofbuy, hold and sell. Investors should carefully read the definitions of all ratings used in Morgan Stanley Research. In addition, since Morgan StanleyResearch contains more complete information concerning the analyst's views, investors should carefully read Morgan Stanley Research, in its entirety, andnot infer the contents from the rating alone. In any case, ratings (or research) should not be used or relied upon as investment advice. An investor's decisionto buy or sell a stock should depend on individual circumstances (such as the investor's existing holdings) and other considerations.Global Stock Ratings Distribution(as of June 30, 2014)For disclosure purposes only (in accordance with NASD and NYSE requirements), we include the category headings of Buy, Hold, and Sell alongside ourratings of Overweight, Equal-weight, Not-Rated and Underweight. Morgan Stanley does not assign ratings of Buy, Hold or Sell to the stocks we cover.Overweight, Equal-weight, Not-Rated and Underweight are not the equivalent of buy, hold, and sell but represent recommended relative weightings (seedefinitions below). To satisfy regulatory requirements, we correspond Overweight, our most positive stock rating, with a buy recommendation; we correspondEqual-weight and Not-Rated to hold and Underweight to sell recommendations, respectively.

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

25

Page 26: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

COVERAGE UNIVERSE INVESTMENT BANKING CLIENTS (IBC)STOCK RATING CATEGORY COUNT % OF TOTAL COUNT % OF TOTAL

IBC% OF RATING

CATEGORYOverweight/Buy 1080 35% 367 38% 34%Equal-weight/Hold 1339 44% 469 49% 35%Not-Rated/Hold 113 4% 23 2% 20%Underweight/Sell 546 18% 98 10% 18%TOTAL 3,078 957

Data include common stock and ADRs currently assigned ratings. Investment Banking Clients are companies from whom Morgan Stanley receivedinvestment banking compensation in the last 12 months.Analyst Stock RatingsOverweight (O). The stock's total return is expected to exceed the average total return of the analyst's industry (or industry team's) coverage universe, on arisk-adjusted basis, over the next 12-18 months.Equal-weight (E). The stock's total return is expected to be in line with the average total return of the analyst's industry (or industry team's) coverageuniverse, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12-18 months.Not-Rated (NR). Currently the analyst does not have adequate conviction about the stock's total return relative to the average total return of the analyst'sindustry (or industry team's) coverage universe, on a risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12-18 months.Underweight (U). The stock's total return is expected to be below the average total return of the analyst's industry (or industry team's) coverage universe, ona risk-adjusted basis, over the next 12-18 months.Unless otherwise specified, the time frame for price targets included in Morgan Stanley Research is 12 to 18 months.Analyst Industry ViewsAttractive (A): The analyst expects the performance of his or her industry coverage universe over the next 12-18 months to be attractive vs. the relevantbroad market benchmark, as indicated below.In-Line (I): The analyst expects the performance of his or her industry coverage universe over the next 12-18 months to be in line with the relevant broadmarket benchmark, as indicated below.Cautious (C): The analyst views the performance of his or her industry coverage universe over the next 12-18 months with caution vs. the relevant broadmarket benchmark, as indicated below.Benchmarks for each region are as follows: North America - S&P 500; Latin America - relevant MSCI country index or MSCI Latin America Index; Europe -MSCI Europe; Japan - TOPIX; Asia - relevant MSCI country index or MSCI sub-regional index or MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index.Stock Price, Price Target and Rating History (See Rating Definitions)

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

26

Page 27: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

Important Disclosures for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC CustomersImportant disclosures regarding the relationship between the companies that are the subject of Morgan Stanley Research and Morgan Stanley SmithBarney LLC or Morgan Stanley or any of their affiliates, are available on the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management disclosure website atwww.morganstanley.com/online/researchdisclosures. For Morgan Stanley specific disclosures, you may refer towww.morganstanley.com/researchdisclosures.Each Morgan Stanley Equity Research report is reviewed and approved on behalf of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. This review and approval isconducted by the same person who reviews the Equity Research report on behalf of Morgan Stanley. This could create a conflict of interest.Other Important DisclosuresMorgan Stanley & Co. International PLC and its affiliates have a significant financial interest in the debt securities of American Tower Corp., AT&T, Inc.,BCE Inc., CenturyLink, Inc., Cincinnati Bell Inc., Crown Castle Corp., Equinix Inc., Frontier Communications Corp, Intelsat S.A., Level 3 Communications,Inc., Rogers Communications, Inc., Sprint Corp, Telephone & Data Systems, TELUS Corp., US Cellular Corporation, Verizon Communications,Windstream Corp..Morgan Stanley is not acting as a municipal advisor and the opinions or views contained herein are not intended to be, and do not constitute, advice withinthe meaning of Section 975 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.Morgan Stanley produces an equity research product called a "Tactical Idea." Views contained in a "Tactical Idea" on a particular stock may be contrary tothe recommendations or views expressed in research on the same stock. This may be the result of differing time horizons, methodologies, market events, orother factors. For all research available on a particular stock, please contact your sales representative or go to Matrix athttp://www.morganstanley.com/matrix.Morgan Stanley Research is provided to our clients through our proprietary research portal on Matrix and also distributed electronically by Morgan Stanleyto clients. Certain, but not all, Morgan Stanley Research products are also made available to clients through third-party vendors or redistributed to clientsthrough alternate electronic means as a convenience. For access to all available Morgan Stanley Research, please contact your sales representative or goto Matrix at http://www.morganstanley.com/matrix.Any access and/or use of Morgan Stanley Research is subject to Morgan Stanley's Terms of Use (http://www.morganstanley.com/terms.html). Byaccessing and/or using Morgan Stanley Research, you are indicating that you have read and agree to be bound by our Terms of Use(http://www.morganstanley.com/terms.html). In addition you consent to Morgan Stanley processing your personal data and using cookies in accordancewith our Privacy Policy and our Global Cookies Policy (http://www.morganstanley.com/privacy_pledge.html), including for the purposes of setting yourpreferences and to collect readership data so that we can deliver better and more personalized service and products to you. To find out more informationabout how Morgan Stanley processes personal data, how we use cookies and how to reject cookies see our Privacy Policy and our Global Cookies Policy(http://www.morganstanley.com/privacy_pledge.html).If you do not agree to our Terms of Use and/or if you do not wish to provide your consent to Morgan Stanley processing your personal data or using cookiesplease do not access our research.Morgan Stanley Research does not provide individually tailored investment advice. Morgan Stanley Research has been prepared without regard to thecircumstances and objectives of those who receive it. Morgan Stanley recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments andstrategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial adviser. The appropriateness of an investment or strategy will depend on an investor'scircumstances and objectives. The securities, instruments, or strategies discussed in Morgan Stanley Research may not be suitable for all investors, andcertain investors may not be eligible to purchase or participate in some or all of them. Morgan Stanley Research is not an offer to buy or sell or the

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

27

Page 28: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security/instrument or to participate in any particular trading strategy. The value of and income from yourinvestments may vary because of changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, default rates, prepayment rates, securities/instruments prices, marketindexes, operational or financial conditions of companies or other factors. There may be time limitations on the exercise of options or other rights insecurities/instruments transactions. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Estimates of future performance are based onassumptions that may not be realized. If provided, and unless otherwise stated, the closing price on the cover page is that of the primary exchange for thesubject company's securities/instruments.The fixed income research analysts, strategists or economists principally responsible for the preparation of Morgan Stanley Research have receivedcompensation based upon various factors, including quality, accuracy and value of research, firm profitability or revenues (which include fixed income tradingand capital markets profitability or revenues), client feedback and competitive factors. Fixed Income Research analysts', strategists' or economists'compensation is not linked to investment banking or capital markets transactions performed by Morgan Stanley or the profitability or revenues of particulartrading desks.The "Important US Regulatory Disclosures on Subject Companies" section in Morgan Stanley Research lists all companies mentioned where MorganStanley owns 1% or more of a class of common equity securities of the companies. For all other companies mentioned in Morgan Stanley Research,Morgan Stanley may have an investment of less than 1% in securities/instruments or derivatives of securities/instruments of companies and may trade themin ways different from those discussed in Morgan Stanley Research. Employees of Morgan Stanley not involved in the preparation of Morgan StanleyResearch may have investments in securities/instruments or derivatives of securities/instruments of companies mentioned and may trade them in waysdifferent from those discussed in Morgan Stanley Research. Derivatives may be issued by Morgan Stanley or associated persons.With the exception of information regarding Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley Research is based on public information. Morgan Stanley makes every effort touse reliable, comprehensive information, but we make no representation that it is accurate or complete. We have no obligation to tell you when opinions orinformation in Morgan Stanley Research change apart from when we intend to discontinue equity research coverage of a subject company. Facts and viewspresented in Morgan Stanley Research have not been reviewed by, and may not reflect information known to, professionals in other Morgan Stanleybusiness areas, including investment banking personnel.Morgan Stanley Research personnel may participate in company events such as site visits and are generally prohibited from accepting payment by thecompany of associated expenses unless pre-approved by authorized members of Research management.Morgan Stanley may make investment decisions or take proprietary positions that are inconsistent with the recommendations or views in this report.To our readers in Taiwan: Information on securities/instruments that trade in Taiwan is distributed by Morgan Stanley Taiwan Limited ("MSTL"). Suchinformation is for your reference only. The reader should independently evaluate the investment risks and is solely responsible for their investment decisions.Morgan Stanley Research may not be distributed to the public media or quoted or used by the public media without the express written consent of MorganStanley. Information on securities/instruments that do not trade in Taiwan is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as a recommendationor a solicitation to trade in such securities/instruments. MSTL may not execute transactions for clients in these securities/instruments. To our readers inHong Kong: Information is distributed in Hong Kong by and on behalf of, and is attributable to, Morgan Stanley Asia Limited as part of its regulated activitiesin Hong Kong. If you have any queries concerning Morgan Stanley Research, please contact our Hong Kong sales representatives.Morgan Stanley is not incorporated under PRC law and the research in relation to this report is conducted outside the PRC. Morgan Stanley Research doesnot constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the PRC. PRC investors shall have the relevant qualifications to invest insuch securities and shall be responsible for obtaining all relevant approvals, licenses, verifications and/or registrations from the relevant governmentalauthorities themselves.Morgan Stanley Research is disseminated in Brazil by Morgan Stanley C.T.V.M. S.A.; in Japan by Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd. and, forCommodities related research reports only, Morgan Stanley Capital Group Japan Co., Ltd; in Hong Kong by Morgan Stanley Asia Limited (which acceptsresponsibility for its contents) and by Bank Morgan Stanley AG, Hong Kong Branch; in Singapore by Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte. (Registrationnumber 199206298Z) and/or Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Securities Pte Ltd (Registration number 200008434H), regulated by the Monetary Authority ofSingapore (which accepts legal responsibility for its contents and should be contacted with respect to any matters arising from, or in connection with,Morgan Stanley Research) and by Bank Morgan Stanley AG, Singapore Branch (Registration number T11FC0207F); in Australia to "wholesale clients"within the meaning of the Australian Corporations Act by Morgan Stanley Australia Limited A.B.N. 67 003 734 576, holder of Australian financial serviceslicense No. 233742, which accepts responsibility for its contents; in Australia to "wholesale clients" and "retail clients" within the meaning of the AustralianCorporations Act by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd (A.B.N. 19 009 145 555, holder of Australian financial services license No.240813, which accepts responsibility for its contents; in Korea by Morgan Stanley & Co International plc, Seoul Branch; in India by Morgan Stanley IndiaCompany Private Limited; in Indonesia by PT Morgan Stanley Asia Indonesia; in Canada by Morgan Stanley Canada Limited, which has approved of andtakes responsibility for its contents in Canada; in Germany by Morgan Stanley Bank AG, Frankfurt am Main and Morgan Stanley Private WealthManagement Limited, Niederlassung Deutschland, regulated by Bundesanstalt fuer Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin); in Spain by Morgan Stanley,S.V., S.A., a Morgan Stanley group company, which is supervised by the Spanish Securities Markets Commission (CNMV) and states that Morgan StanleyResearch has been written and distributed in accordance with the rules of conduct applicable to financial research as established under Spanishregulations; in the US by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, which accepts responsibility for its contents. Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc, authorized bythe Prudential Regulatory Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulatory Authority, disseminates in the UKresearch that it has prepared, and approves solely for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, research which has beenprepared by any of its affiliates. Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Limited, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, alsodisseminates Morgan Stanley Research in the UK. Private UK investors should obtain the advice of their Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc or MorganStanley Private Wealth Management representative about the investments concerned. RMB Morgan Stanley (Proprietary) Limited is a member of the JSELimited and regulated by the Financial Services Board in South Africa. RMB Morgan Stanley (Proprietary) Limited is a joint venture owned equally byMorgan Stanley International Holdings Inc. and RMB Investment Advisory (Proprietary) Limited, which is wholly owned by FirstRand Limited.The information in Morgan Stanley Research is being communicated by Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (DIFC Branch), regulated by the DubaiFinancial Services Authority (the DFSA), and is directed at Professional Clients only, as defined by the DFSA. The financial products or financial services towhich this research relates will only be made available to a customer who we are satisfied meets the regulatory criteria to be a Professional Client.The information in Morgan Stanley Research is being communicated by Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (QFC Branch), regulated by the QatarFinancial Centre Regulatory Authority (the QFCRA), and is directed at business customers and market counterparties only and is not intended for RetailCustomers as defined by the QFCRA.As required by the Capital Markets Board of Turkey, investment information, comments and recommendations stated here, are not within the scope ofinvestment advisory activity. Investment advisory service is provided exclusively to persons based on their risk and income preferences by the authorizedfirms. Comments and recommendations stated here are general in nature. These opinions may not fit to your financial status, risk and return preferences.For this reason, to make an investment decision by relying solely to this information stated here may not bring about outcomes that fit your expectations.The trademarks and service marks contained in Morgan Stanley Research are the property of their respective owners. Third-party data providers make nowarranties or representations relating to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the data they provide and shall not have liability for any damagesrelating to such data. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) was developed by and is the exclusive property of MSCI and S&P. Morgan StanleyResearch or portions of it may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of Morgan Stanley.Morgan Stanley Research, or any portion thereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of Morgan Stanley.

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

28

Page 29: Sprint Corp: 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud ...€¦ · Sprint Corp 2Q14 Review: Churn and Pricing Risks Cloud Outlook ... Until now, T-Mobile has been driving the

INDUSTRY COVERAGE: Telecom Services

COMPANY (TICKER) RATING (AS OF) PRICE* (07/30/2014)

Simon FlanneryAmerican Tower Corp. (AMT.N) O (03/28/2011) $96.25AT&T, Inc. (T.N) E (04/24/2013) $36.36BCE Inc. (BCE.TO) O (11/21/2008) C$49.76CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL.N) E (05/19/2014) $39.77Cincinnati Bell Inc. (CBB.N) E (02/12/2013) $3.92Crown Castle Corp. (CCI.N) O (11/11/2009) $74.50CyrusOne Inc (CONE.O) O (05/28/2013) $25.77Endurance International Group Holdings, Inc. (EIGI.O) O (11/19/2013) $13.76Equinix Inc. (EQIX.O) E (05/13/2009) $215.75Frontier Communications Corp (FTR.O) E (05/07/2007) $6.65Gogo Inc (GOGO.O) U (11/15/2013) $17.28Inteliquent (IQNT.O) E (05/06/2013) $11.01Intelsat S.A. (I.N) E (05/28/2013) $19.00Level 3 Communications, Inc. (LVLT.N) E (09/20/2013) $45.31QTS Realty Trust Inc (QTS.N) O (12/19/2013) $27.33Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (RAX.N) O (03/25/2014) $30.94Rogers Communications, Inc. (RCIb.TO) O (04/27/2005) C$42.88SBA Communications (SBAC.O) O (03/28/2011) $108.96Sprint Corp (S.N) U (10/19/2009) $7.76Telephone & Data Systems (TDS.N) E (05/30/2014) $25.28TELUS Corp. (T.TO) E (03/25/2014) C$38.23T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS.N) E (05/03/2013) $30.94tw telecom inc (TWTC.O) E (05/16/2013) $41.77US Cellular Corporation (USM.N) U (11/02/2011) $39.52Verizon Communications (VZ.N) O (02/27/2014) $51.76Windstream Corp. (WIN.O) U (11/08/2013) $11.33

Stock Ratings are subject to change. Please see latest research for each company.* Historical prices are not split adjusted.

© 2014 Morgan Stanley

| July 31, 2014Sprint Corp

29