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Cricket Communications, Inc. founded in 1999, provides wireless services to about 4.6 million customers in parts of 35 US states.[1] The company is a subsidiary of Leap Wireless, utilizing its CDMA 1X and 1xEV-DO networks. Cricket uses a flat rate billing method, offering rate plans from $25 to $60 per month before taxes by way of month-to-month contracts only; it does not require credit checks or long-term service contracts as other service providers in the U.S. The company recently launched the first Advanced Wireless Services network, in Oklahoma City.
[edit] History
- March 1999: Leap launched Cricket Wireless first market in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[2]
- August 16, 2004: Cricket's parent company emerged from bankruptcy.[4]
- September 4, 2007: Competing carrier MetroPCS announced a $5.3 billion bid to merge with Leap Wireless .[5] Leap informally rejected the bid less than two weeks later.[6] MetroPCS officially withdrew the bid less than two months later, on November 1, 2007.[7]
- September 17, 2007: Cricket launched Wireless Broadband Service using EV-DO.[8]
- December 12, 2007: Cricket agreed to acquire Hargray Communications Group's wireless telecommunications business. [9]
- September 29, 2008: Cricket announced that they had entered into a 10 year roaming agreement with MetroPCS covering both companies' existing and future markets. The companies also entered into a spectrum exchange agreement covering licenses in certain markets, (with Leap acquiring an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in San Diego, Fresno, Seattle and certain other Washington and Oregon markets, and MetroPCS acquiring an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Shreveport-Bossier City, Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida and certain other North Texas markets). The companies said that they have settled all outstanding litigation between them[11]
- November 13, 2008: Cricket launched "Premium Extended Coverage", a roaming partnership with 14 wireless companies to provide Cricket customers with a larger unlimited cellular footprint. [12]
- February 2009: Cricket launches in Chicago. Making it the biggest market to ever launch since Cricket was formed in 1999.
- March 10, 2009: Cricket launches in the Philadelphia market, including suburbs such as Atlantic City, NJ and Wilmington, DE, with a market total of 6.3 million POPs.
- April 22, 2009: Cricket launches phone recycling program.
- June 23, 2009: Cricket launches in the Washington, DC and Baltimore markets
- August, 2009: Leap announces quarter 2 reports of 203,000 net customer additions and now have about 4.5 million customers.
- August 19, 2009: Cricket looking for federal grant for wireless broadband.
- September 3, 2009: Cricket introduces durable MOTO VE465.
- September 4, 2009: Merger talk starting back up for Leap, MetroPCS and rumored about AT&T Mobility .
- September 4, 2009: Cricket testing 10GB broadband plan.
- September 17, 2009: Cricket to integrate monthly plans into PAYGo.
- September 23, 2009: Cricket releases low-priced CAPTR.
- September 28, 2009: Cricket upgrades domain name. (cricketwireless.com)
- October 1, 2009: Cricket PAYGo headed to Target.
- October 12, 2009: Cricket says no to Android, yes to mPortal.
- October 29, 2009: Cricket adds LG Helix to handset lineup.
- November 2, 2009: Cricket adds text messaging option to $1 PAYGo plan.
- November 5, 2009: Cricket adds $25 plan to compete with (Metropcs) 30 dollar plan.
- November 5, 2009: Cricket see slow growth in subscribers, they added 116,000 and now have 4.65 million subscribers.
[edit] Coverage area
Cricket covers about half of the continental United States, and has broadband coverage in many major metropolitan areas.[13]
[edit] AWS expansion
In August 2006, Leap Wireless participated in FCC Auction 66, which distributed Advanced Wireless Services spectrum. The company won 99 licenses.[14] This will expand their coverage to 27 additional markets. Services have already launched in Oklahoma City,[15] Las Vegas, Nevada,[16] and South Texas along with Beaumont.[17] Service to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., launched in June 2009.[18] It plans to have the remaining markets rolled out by the end of 2009.[19] These markets include:
[edit] See also
- Jump Mobile Prepaid Carrier on the Cricket/Leap network, Also owned by Leap.
- Leap Wireless Parent Company
- MetroPCS A cell phone provider and partner with a similar business model.
- Pocket Communications A regional operator competing with Cricket in Southern Texas.
- Revol Wireless A regional operator similar in concept to Cricket and operating on parts of its networks.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Prepaid Reviews
