Cricket Communications (News - Alert), Inc., a provider of unlimited wireless services, and a whollyowned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc. today announced updates to its flat-rate, unlimited service plan.

 

Cricket describes its product as a simple, affordable wireless service offering consumers and local businesses a flat-rate unlimited service over the latest technology – high-quality, all-digital CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO wireless network.

 

Designed for customers whose basic and advanced wireless needs have not been met by traditional communications companies, Cricket is the pioneer of unlimited services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required, company officials say.

 

Cricket says it offers customers access to a variety of the latest devices and feature-rich mobile applications such as unlimited text, instant and picture messaging, Mobile Web, popular games, ringtones and wallpapers.

 

“Cricket has a history of continually adding more value to our service plans, giving our customers more unlimited features at the same price,” said T. Scott Edwards, senior vice president of marketing for Cricket. “This is a great time for Cricket to introduce new rate plans with added value, since we are able to offer consumers truly unlimited wireless for half, or in some cases one third, of the price other carriers are charging. That translates into a savings of approximately $600 per year, and is critically important in these challenging economic times.”

 

The Company’s traditional service plan update features strong entry-level pricing and adds value to existing plans by including additional features and services on an unlimited basis while working to optimize the relationship between cost and average revenue per user (ARPU) growth.

 

The Company’s higher-value service plans now include unlimited text messaging to Mexico, a popular feature previously offered a la carte, company officials say.

 

Cricket continues its tradition of “rolling” popular features into service plans by offering this service on an unlimited basis to customers in the $40-$60 plans, company officials say.

 

Cricket officials say their service also includes unlimited mobile Web, previously included only in the $50 plan, at the $45 price point, and has added a bundle of 30 nationwide roaming minutes to the $50 plan. Caller ID is now included in all service plans.

 

Cricket has also added a new entry-level $30 service plan to its offering that includes unlimited anytime minutes, plus the option to add several features such as text messaging and mobile Web, company officials say. Cricket’s higher value plan offers unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance and 200 nationwide roaming minutes for only $60 per month.