"As a provider of online brokerage services to the Sprint PCS Wireless Web, Ameritrade will enable investors to have anytime, anywhere access to its Web site via Sprint PCS Phones," said Thomas K. Lewis, Jr., co-chief executive officer of Ameritrade Holding Corporation. "We're excited to be working with another market leader, Sprint PCS, which was the first carrier to launch wireless Internet services nationwide, making it easy for customers to put the power of the wireless Internet in the palm of their hand. After extensive reviews, we selected Sprint PCS as our wireless provider of choice because the company offers the highest quality and best overall coverage in the metropolitan areas where Ameritrade customers live and work."

Andrew Sukawaty, Sprint PCS President, said, "We are tremendously excited to be the first wireless provider to offer Ameritrade's transactional brokerage services to consumers nationwide. This marks the first time that customers in the United States can open an account and place trades directly over the wireless Internet via a wireless phone. Similar to the evolution of online services, our agreement with Ameritrade represents the next phase of the Sprint PCS Wireless Web, moving from anytime, anywhere information access to a mobile environment that offers consumers a full suite of clear, simple transactional shopping and financial services."

Lewis noted that the addition of wireless web access is another step in Ameritrade's continuing effort to extend the ability of its customers to invest when and how they choose.

"Ameritrade is a customer-oriented organization," Lewis said. "We know that our customers want to be empowered to act on their investment decisions at any given moment. That's why, in addition to this new, convenient Sprint PCS Wireless Web access channel, we're offering our customers extended hours trading. We also have customer service professionals available 24 hours-per-day Monday through Friday."

Sprint PCS customers who have an Internet-ready Sprint PCS Phone will be able to access their Ameritrade account at no extra charge as part of any Sprint PCS Wireless Web Service Plan -- starting at less than $10 a month when added to an existing voice plan $29.99 and higher. Once an Ameritrade account is accessed via a Sprint PCS Phone, all Ameritrade fees apply in the same manner as if a customer had accessed Ameritrade from a desktop computer for standard online brokerage services -- currently $8 per equity market order.

SOURCE Ameritrade Holding Corporation

COMMENTS: This sounds like a new tool for the serious SECURITIES TRADER that can go a long-way in establishing TraderStatus. Up until now, if you had a full-time day job, it was nearly impossible to establish a sustainable TRADER STATUS position on a tax return. This is because TRADER STATUS requires that an individual be involved "in a trade or business with continuity and regularity." When you have a full-time day job, exactly how can you operate your trading activity with the requisite "continuity and regularity" without jumping through hoops to prove your case? Hoops that the IRS has no qualms about vigorously attacking during audit.

Enter the answer from Ameritrade/Sprint. Now even someone with a full-time day job, a taxi cab driver, an outside salesman, construction worker, postal delivery person, bakery counter person, professor, all can easily feel that they devote time with continuity and regularity as they watch the markets and trade interactively anywhere and anytime during the day even while performing their other regular duties.

This inexpensive trader's tool, may be just what the doctor ordered for swing traders and position traders who have other employment in addition to their securities trading business.