Leap jumping into three new markets, could double coverage area with AWS spectrum

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Leap jumping into three new markets, could double coverage area with AWS spectrum
By Kelly Hill
May 17, 2006

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—Leap Wireless International Inc. has begun touting the launches of several new markets on its Web site: Houston and College Station, Texas, and Cincinnati.

The Texas markets are set to launch June 7, according to the site, and Cincinnati is listed as “coming soon.” Bear Stearns analyst Phil Cusick noted in a research report that Leap’s “coming soon” usually means within two to four weeks.

Leap provides unlimited calling plans and prepaid service in 20 states, and recently agreed to a spectrum swap with Cingular Wireless L.L.C. Leap will get a 10 megahertz block in Rochester, N.Y. in exchange for 10 megahertz of its spectrum in Grand Rapids, Mich. The operator also is expected to be a player to watch in the upcoming Advanced Wireless Services spectrum, and has announced a forward stock sale to help fund spectrum purchases.

Cusick said that Leap is preparing to buy up to $1.1 billion in spectrum, which “could buy spectrum across much of Leap’s existing footprint and possibly double its current size.”

http://www.rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=26378

[larry]

They're coming in very late in the game. It's not easy to truly get the good coverage that the other carriers have in those markets with today's NIMBYism.

[walkguru]

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: Nokia6682/2.0 (3.01.1) SymbianOS/8.0 Series60/2.6 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

From what i have seen they go for close to the city coverage.

[Andy]

Larry, I guess that depends on where you are. I don't that Utah, for example, has that many NIMBY's, but you are correct that in a lot of areas this is a problem.

Walkguru, you are right that Cricket is mostly concerned with close to city coverage. In my market, for example, Cricket generally had excellent coverage when I had them 2 years ago; I can only imagine things to have gotten better now. CricKet has also expanded into areas that I didn't think they would, like Tooele, UT. Now necessarily a big metro place so they are expanding even into the outskirts of metro areas.