Exhibit 5




                                 August 11, 2005



Sprint Corporation
P.O. Box 7997
Shawnee Mission, Kansas  66207-0997

Re:  105,435,529  shares of FON  Common  Stock,  Series 1 (par  value  $2.00 per
     share),   and  the  related  Rights,   issuable   pursuant  to  the  Nextel
     Communications, Inc. Amended and Restated Incentive Equity Plan.



Gentlemen:

     I have acted as your counsel in connection  with the proposed  offering and
issuance of an aggregate of 105,435,529 shares of your FON Common Stock.  Series
1 and the related  Rights  (collectively,  the "FON Shares")  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").  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 of the merger agreement among
Sprint, a subsidiary of Sprint, and Nextel Communications, Inc. and the approval
and adoption of the Nextel  Communications,  Inc. Amended and Restated Incentive
Equity Plan (the  "Plan"),  the  authorization  of the FON  Shares,  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 FON Shares that may be issued  under the Plan will  continue to be duly
authorized on the dates of such issuances.

     The opinions  expressed herein are limited in all respects to the corporate
law of the State of Kansas, 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:





Sprint Corporation
August 11, 2005
Page 2




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

     2.   The FON Shares have been duly and validly authorized, and when (i) the
          Registration Statement has become effective under the Act and (ii) the
          FON Shares are issued in the manner  permitted  by the Plan,  such FON
          Shares will be legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

     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