Can this merger be consummated? Dual Sprint-Nextel phones are a start but more needs to be done

For the year and a half since the Sprint-Nextel merger, the companies have struggled to combine disparate systems and technologies.

Now, they've made a tangible step forward.

SprintNextel has just announced two phones that will function on both the Sprint and Nextel networks- Nextel's iDEN and Sprint's CDMA.

Both are Motorola PowerSource phones.

The clamshell Buzz ic502 weighs 4.1 ounces, is suggested at $249.99 but can be had for $59.99 with a two-year contract.

Take a look:

Meanwhile the Blend ic402 will sell for a suggested $229.99 list price or $39.99 with a two-year plan.

Coming at ya:

OK, SprintNextel, there's a start. Now, do you think you could integrate your Sprint and Nextel billing system, as well as offer a seamless experience in your stores? Right now when I, a customer, go into a Sprint-branded store whose legacy is as a Nextel store, I am still more likely to see Nextel equipment and encounter Nextel-knowledgeable employees.

These phones are a start, but before this merger can be said to be consummated,integration on the services sides also must be achieved.

Is that too much to ask?