Cricket Unlimited Wireless Services to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore

[hank424]

Leap Brings Cricket Unlimited Wireless Services to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore
~Consumers Along Eastern Seaboard Now Have the Opportunity to Experience Cricket's Wide Range of Unlimited and Affordable Wireless Services Across its Robust 3G Network~

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 23, 2009-- Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), the parent company of Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of unlimited wireless services, today announced that Cricket unlimited wireless services are now available in the greater Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. Consumers in these key Eastern Seaboard markets now have access to Cricket’s unlimited, feature-packed 3G wireless service at affordable rates.

Cricket’s coverage area includes both the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro areas, as well as connecting suburbs and travel routes. The Cricket footprint, which covers approximately 4,810 square miles and nearly 7.2 million covered POPs, brings Cricket’s total nationwide POPs to approximately 91 million.

“We are pleased to introduce Cricket service in our nation’s capital and Baltimore,” said Doug Hutcheson, president and CEO of Leap. “Through our Cricket service we offer a wide range of affordable, unlimited wireless products and services that provide value to our customers. With these new markets, we have successfully completed plans we began in early 2008 to launch new Cricket markets covering up to an additional 36 million additional POPs. These new markets in D.C. and Baltimore, together with our other recent launches in Philadelphia and Chicago, are part of our overall plan to expand our coverage along the Eastern Seaboard and in other key markets across the U.S.”

Cricket is also bringing more than 310 jobs to the greater Washington D.C. and Baltimore area, including approximately 280 new positions created through its dealer network. Cricket will open 13 retail store locations in Washington, D.C., and 8 retail store locations in Baltimore. In addition, Cricket service plans and phones are available at 140 Cricket exclusive wireless dealers and 170 other dealer locations throughout the region, as well as online at Cricket | Cell Phone Provider & Wireless Carrier | Official Site or via the telephone at 800-922-9169.

Cricket service plans range from $30 to $60 per month and include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, nationwide roaming minutes and more -- all without requiring signed contracts or credit checks. Cricket service plans also include unlimited use in all Cricket markets across the U.S., as well as Premium Extended Coverage, which allows unlimited use in major metropolitan areas stretching from New York to California and from Wisconsin to Texas. Cricket has more than a dozen devices available ranging from higher-end handsets, such as the touch screen Motorola Evoke, to more affordable mobile phones.

Cricket Broadband, which provides unlimited Internet access anywhere in Cricket's coverage areas from desktop or laptop computers, is available now in Baltimore and will be available soon in Washington, D.C. The Cricket monthly broadband service plan is just $35 per month for customers who also have Cricket's low-cost unlimited voice plans, and $40 per month as a stand-alone service.

For more information, please visit Cricket | Cell Phone Provider & Wireless Carrier | Official Site.

[Matt]

Cricket and Metro continue to pressure the market with their expansions, especially v. Sprint and T-Mobile.