Tag Archives: LeapWireless

Verizon and Leap Wireless announce $120 million spectrum swap in wake of FCC approval

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Verizon and Leap Wireless announce $120 million spectrum swap in wake of FCC approval

Go ahead and put a bow on it, as Verizon Wireless and Leap Wireless (the parent company of Cricket), have announced a successful spectrum swap. The agreement follows the recent stamp of approval from the FCC, which was issued as part of a larger deal between Verizon Wireless, SpectrumCo and Cox. For its part, Leap will divest itself of excess AWS and PCS spectrum across the US; in exchange, Verizon will pay $120 million to Leap and provide it with 12MHz of A Block 700MHz spectrum in Chicago. Leap will use the new holdings to supplement its existing 10MHz of the A Block within the Windy City, and will use the cash to build up its LTE infrastructure across the US. The company currently expects to provide LTE coverage to at least two-thirds of Cricket's current footprint over the next three years -- or, maybe sooner. Just check the PR to watch the company waffle.

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Verizon and Leap Wireless announce $120 million spectrum swap in wake of FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RadioShack No Contract Wireless rate plans leak, $60 will get you everything

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RadioShack No Contract Wireless rate plans leak

We're just about a week out from the rumored launch of RadioShack's Cricket-based No Contract Wireless plans, and more details are beginning to trickle out about the prepaid service. Specifically, we've just received information concerning how much The Shack intends to charge on a monthly basis, and it's just about what you'd expect: you can choose between featurephone and smartphone options, with the former hooking you up with unlimited messaging and your choice of 300 minutes for $25 or 1,000 minutes for $35. As for the smartphone plans, you'll get unlimited voice, messaging and Muve Music downloads on both selections; the $50 option will get you one gigabyte of 3G data (before throttling ensues), while $60 bestows you with 2.5GB data and mobile hotspot use, Visual Voicemail access, unlimited international text and all-you-can-eat directory assistance.

As a comparison, Cricket's $35 featurephone plan will give you unlimited voice and SMS, compared to 1,000 minutes and unlimited SMS / MMS / 1X data on The Shack. The carrier's basic smartphone option is $55 and offers unlimited voice, messaging and 3G data (throttled at 2.5GB); this may seem like the better deal -- unless you're interested in using Muve Music. Since you have to pay an extra $10 to add the unlimited music service into the mix on Cricket, you'll see a monthly savings of $5 if you waltz into The Shack for the top-tiered plan. We're still waiting for RadioShack to come clean and acknowledge the existence of the NoContract service, but we'll continue to reveal more details as they come down the pipeline. Check out the featurephone rate plans after the break.

[Thanks, Anonymous!]

Continue reading RadioShack No Contract Wireless rate plans leak, $60 will get you everything

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RadioShack No Contract Wireless rate plans leak, $60 will get you everything originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile urges the FCC to approve Verizon’s spectrum deal

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T-Mobile urges the FCC to approve Verizon's spectrum deal, wants its cut

It's strange to see another network provider stepping up to the plate for Verizon, but some of T-Mobile's big hitters have visited the FCC to do just that. The company wants Verizon's acquisition of AWS spectrum licenses from SpectrumCo, Cox and Leap to be pushed through as quickly as possible, and its motives are pretty obvious: it comes just a month after the companies agreed to some friendly bandwidth-sharing once the deal's done. T-Mobile has also challenged comments from the Rural Telecommunications Group (RTG), which argues that Verizon's acquisition will hurt competition. Oh, how things have changed since T-Mobile was battling in completely the opposite direction.

T-Mobile urges the FCC to approve Verizon's spectrum deal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TmoNews, FierceWireless  |  sourceFCC (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

Mobile Miscellany: week of July 16th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany week of July 16th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the Chief Operating Officer of Leap Wireless made his departure from the company and a new LTE handset was leaked for MetroPCS. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 16th, 2012.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of July 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 21:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile to carry iPhone from today, Sir Richard does his best Fonz impression

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Virgin Mobile to carry iPhone from today, hopes you've heard of it

Virgin Mobile is offering the iPhone to its prepaid customers as of today. The Sprint-owned subsidiary is using the event to kickstart a new retail strategy that will see the company open branded retail stores in Chicago -- with a nationwide rollout dependent upon its success. Since all carriers have to make a minimum commitment to Apple in order to receive the handset, it's interesting to see that Virgin's allocation forms part of Sprint's $15.5 billion gamble on the handset that's still yet to pay off. The handset will set users back $650 for a 16GB iPhone 4S, while plans begin at $30 for 300 voice minutes, unlimited messages and data, but only if they commit to automatic monthly payments.

Continue reading Virgin Mobile to carry iPhone from today, Sir Richard does his best Fonz impression

Virgin Mobile to carry iPhone from today, Sir Richard does his best Fonz impression originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 and 4S now available to purchase outright at Cricket for $399 and $499

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iPhone 4 and 4S now available to purchase outright at Cricket for $399 and $499

There's nothing quite like the pent-up anticipation for an Apple product arrival, and yes, that extends even to customers of Cricket, who lined up this morning for their first chance to score an iPhone from the prepaid carrier. While both the iPhone 4 (8GB) and 4S (16GB) must be purchased outright -- for $399 and $499 respectively -- sales were said to be "brisk" today, which can be partially attributed to Cricket's $55 per month plan. For the monthly layout, customers can take advantage of unlimited calling, messaging and data, although they'll need to contend with throttling for any usage past 2.3GB. Next up, Virgin Mobile is similarly situated to receive the iPhone on June 29th. Think there'll be any lines?

iPhone 4 and 4S now available to purchase outright at Cricket for $399 and $499 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of June 11th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany week of June 11th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Cricket found a new retail channel at Kmart and we received news that the HTC One S will soon arrive at Cincinnati Bell. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 11th, 2012.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of June 11th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 ‘unlimited’ everything plan

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Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 'unlimited' everything plan

Cricket Wireless, the prepaid subsidiary of Leap, has just announced the availability of the iPhone 4 and 4S on its network. When they go on sale June 22nd, a 16GB 4S will set you back $500, while an 8GB 4 clocks in at a slightly more affordable $400. Both are available with Cricket's $55 "unlimited" everything plan, which includes all you can eat talk, text, and data -- provided your idea of "unlimited" data falls within its fair usage policies (in this case, 2.3GB of data). Cricket is hardly alone among America's smaller carriers in offering the iPhone, C-Spire as well as a number of regional carriers all stock Apple's wares. What makes this offering unique, is that Cricket is the first completely prepaid carrier to sell the handset. So, if you want an iPhone, but don't want the contract or the post-paid, usage-based fees? Well then, Cricket might just be your new best friend. Check out the PR after the break and hit up the source for more info.

Continue reading Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 'unlimited' everything plan

Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 'unlimited' everything plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, Sprint reassured us with optimism for Windows Phone 8, and T-Mobile's CEO found a new partner to continue the fight against Verizon's AWS acquisition. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 7th, 2012.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012

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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned that ZTE intends to release a phablet of its own, and Samsung unseated Nokia as the world's largest supplier of mobile phones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 23rd, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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