Sprint Nextel To Cut 4,000 Jobs

Sprint Nextel Corp.'s stock plunged Friday after the wireless carrier said it will cut 4,000 jobs and close 125 retail locations in response to a steep drop in its customer base.

Sprint shares plummeted nearly 25 percent, prompting analysts to forecast even more cuts in the coming months as the nation's third-largest wireless carrier struggles to compete with AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless.

The layoff of about 6.7 percent of Sprint's work force and closure of 8 percent of its stores is to be completed in the first half of the year. Sprint said in a news release that the cuts will trim labor costs by $700 million to $800 million a year.

Some analysts said the moves would not be enough to stem losses resulting from a fourth-quarter decline of 109,000 subscribers and 683,000 monthly subscribers -- in all, nearly three times the net loss Wall Street analysts predicted.

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