Exhibit 5



                               December 12, 2005



Sprint Nextel Corporation
2001 Edmund Halley Drive
Reston, Virginia

Re:  $25,000,000 deferred compensation  obligations to be offered and sold under
     the Sprint  Nextel  Deferred  Compensation  Plan and  $47,000,000  deferred
     compensation  obligations to be offered and sold under the Sprint Executive
     Deferred Compensation Plan

Gentlemen:

     I have acted as your counsel in connection  with the proposed  offering and
issuance of an aggregate of $25,000,000 deferred compensation  obligations to be
offered and sold under the Sprint Nextel Deferred Compensation Plan (the "Sprint
Nextel Plan") and $47,000,000  deferred  compensation  obligations to be offered
and sold under the Sprint  Executive  Deferred  Compensation  Plan (the  "Sprint
Plan"), referred to in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration
Statement"), to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to
the  Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act").  The deferred  compensation
obligations  to be offered  under the Sprint Nextel Plan and the Sprint Plan are
collectively  referred  to herein as  Obligations.  In such  connection,  I have
examined the Registration Statement and I am familiar with the proceedings taken
by your Board of Directors in  connection  with the approval and adoption of the
Sprint Nextel Plan and the Sprint Plan, and related matters, and I have reviewed
such documents,  records,  and matters of law as I have considered necessary for
rendering my opinion hereinafter set forth.

     For purposes of the opinion set forth in clause 2(ii) below, I have assumed
that the  Obligations  that may be issued  under the Sprint  Nextel Plan and the
Sprint Plan will continue to be duly  authorized on the dates of such issuances.
The  opinion  expressed  in  clause 3 below  applies  only as to the form of the
written  Sprint  Nextel Plan  document  and the form of the written  Sprint Plan
document.  Accordingly,  but without limiting the preceding  sentence,  I assume
(but express no opinion as to whether) (1) the  directors  and employees who are
eligible to  participate  in the Sprint  Nextel Plan and the  employees  who are
participating  in the  Sprint  Plan  constitute  a select  group  of  directors,
management  or highly  compensated  employees and (2) the Sprint Nextel Plan and
the Sprint  Plan will not be  considered  funded for  purposes  of the  Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"),  which are factual
issues that depend upon the facts and  circumstances  in existence  from time to
time.




     The opinions  expressed herein are limited in all respects to the corporate
law of the State of Kansas  and to  ERISA,  and no  opinion  is  expressed  with
respect to the laws of any other  jurisdiction  or any effect that such laws may
have on the opinions expressed herein. These opinions are limited to the matters
stated herein,  and no opinion is implied or may be inferred  beyond the matters
expressly stated herein.

     Based upon the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:

     1.   Sprint Nextel  Corporation is a corporation duly organized and validly
          existing under the laws of the State of Kansas.

     2.   The  Obligations  have  been  duly and  validly  authorized  by Sprint
          Nextel,  and when (i) the Registration  Statement has become effective
          under  the Act and (ii)  the  Obligations  are  issued  in the  manner
          permitted  by the  Sprint  Nextel  Plan  and  the  Sprint  Plan,  such
          Obligations  will be valid and binding  obligations  of Sprint Nextel,
          enforceable  against  Sprint  Nextel in  accordance  with their terms,
          subject,  as to  enforcement of remedies,  to bankruptcy,  insolvency,
          reorganization,  moratorium  or similar laws  affecting the rights and
          remedies  of  creditors   generally  and  to  the  effect  of  general
          principles of equity.

     3.   The written  Sprint Nextel Plan  document and the written  Sprint Plan
          document  contain any provisions  required by ERISA with respect to an
          unfunded  pension plan maintained by an employer for a select group of
          directors, management or highly compensated employees.

     I hereby  consent  to the  filing  of this  opinion  as an  exhibit  to the
Registration Statement. In giving such consent, I do not thereby admit that I am
in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act.


                                        Very truly yours,

                                        /s/ Michael T. Hyde

                                        Michael T. Hyde