Sprint and SBC said their Wi-Fi customers can roam between the networks: Just a month ago, USA Today published an unconfirmed report that the two had struck a roaming deal.
The most important aspect of a roaming deal between Sprint and SBC may be that it opens up more access to airport hotspots for customers. Airports have been hotly contested space and operators have fought to "own" airports. That may change anyway, however, with a recent clarification of FCC rules that would allow airlines or shops in airports to deliver their own Wi-Fi services. That means that eventually, multiple operators may build networks in each airport.
Other than airports, the rest of the agreement between SBC and Sprint may include a lot of overlap. They both already have deals with Wayport and Concourse. Sprint has a roaming agreement with AT&T Wireless, which could also become redundant assuming the AT&T Wireless/Cingular merger goes through. Cingular is part-owned by SBC. At the end of July, USA Today reported that Sprint had just 12 of its own hotspots, which likely does not include its Truckstop.net hotspots that are technically built by Sprint's managed services division.
Even if this deal doesn't significantly expand SBC's network, it's one more roaming deal which is a good thing. Such deals help increase the number of networks users can access, which in turn makes subscribing more attractive.