- New Prepaid Product Offers 24/7 Unlimited Service With Flexible Payment Options -
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of unlimited
wireless services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless
International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), today announced the introductory
launch of Cricket PAYGo, a 24/7 unlimited prepaid wireless service.
Cricket PAYGo is a daily pay-as-you-go service designed for customers
who prefer the flexibility and control offered by traditional pre-paid
services but are seeking greater value for their dollar.
"Cricket PAYGo is an innovative product for the pre-paid market
that further extends and diversifies the Cricket brand," said Al
Moschner, executive vice president and chief operating officer for
Leap. "We've created another way for Cricket to appeal to new
customers and, we believe, capture new opportunities to create value
for our business. We expect those customers who prefer the control
that prepaid service provides will find Cricket PAYGo to be a
compelling offer that delivers on Cricket's core value proposition of
unlimited voice and data products at market-leading prices."
Cricket PAYGo customers choose one of three rate plans ($1, $2 or
$3 per day). At each level, customers will receive unlimited service
24/7 for the features offered at that level. For all three levels of
service, customers are charged only for the days they use and
customers can easily transition between plans at any time throughout
the week or month.
Cricket PAYGo $1/day $2/day $3/day
Plan Plan Plan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlimited Local Calling x x x
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlimited Text and Picture Messaging x x
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlimited U.S. Long Distance, International Text x
to 100+ Countries, Mobile Web and Directory
Assistance
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Voicemail, Caller ID and Three-Way Calling x x x
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Other features, available on an a la carte basis, include: US long
distance at 10 cents per minute, Mobile Web at $1 per day, directory
assistance at $1 per use, nationwide roaming at 39 cents per minute
and international text at 10 cents per message to Mexico and 15 cents
per message to most other countries.
Cricket PAYGo handsets are available for sale in approximately
1,600 locations, including major national retailers in Cricket markets
across the nation. In the coming days, Cricket PAYGo phones will also
be available for sale in Cricket stores, Cricket agents/dealers in
Cincinnati/Dayton, Savannah/Hilton Head and Houston. Cricket PAYGo is
launching with three handsets: Cricket EZ, UTStarcom CDM7126 and
Samsung MyShot.
Customers can purchase airtime for their Cricket PAYGo service at
approximately 10,000 locations, including major national retailers,
convenience stores, all Cricket stores and existing agent partners.
Concluded Moschner, "As we have done with the introduction of our
broadband product, we expect to follow a disciplined and strategic
approach with further expansion of Cricket PAYGo. We will use what we
learn along the way to determine the timing of the roll-out to
additional Cricket markets and the inclusion of other national
retailers. Looking ahead, we expect Cricket PAYGo to be a value-leader
in the pre-paid segment and align with our successful voice and
broadband products to continue to deliver value to our shareholders."
About Leap
Leap provides innovative, high-value wireless services to a
fast-growing, young and ethnically diverse customer base. With the
value of unlimited wireless services as the foundation of its
business, Leap pioneered its Cricket service. The Company and its
joint ventures now operate in 29 states and hold licenses in 35 of the
top 50 U.S. markets. Through its affordable, flat-rate service plans,
Cricket offers customers a choice of unlimited voice, text, data and
mobile Web services. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Leap is
traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol
"LEAP." For more information, please visit www.leapwireless.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Such statements, including discussions regarding the status and
progress of our business, reflect management's current expectations
based on currently available operating, financial and competitive
information, but are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
anticipated in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks,
uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our forward-looking
statements are detailed in the section entitled "Risk Factors"
included in our periodic reports filed with the SEC, including our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 and
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31,
2008.
All forward-looking statements included in this news release
should be considered in the context of these risks. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise. Investors and prospective investors are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
Leap is a U.S. registered trademark and the Leap logo is a
trademark of Leap. Cricket, Jump, the Cricket "K" and Flex Bucket are
U.S. registered trademarks of Cricket. In addition, the following are
trademarks or service marks of Cricket: Cricket By Week, Cricket
Choice, Cricket Connect, Cricket Nation and Cricket PAYGo. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Leap Wireless International, Inc.