leap

MetroPCS and Leap Wireless' growth in the fourth quarter could be summed up with one word: meh.

Both prepaid wireless providers offered up an early look at their customer growth and the results were mixed. Leap Wireless, which sells service under its Cricket Wireless subsidiary, released its figures yesterday and narrowly beat expectations. MetroPCS reported its customer growth today, which fell slightly below analysts' expectations.

The results were neither tragically bad or particularly impressive. But given that the fourth quarter is the largest sales period for the prepaid players, that itself makes the results somewhat disappointing. That MetroPCS and Leap … Read more

Move over Siri. Windows Phone now has its own voice assistant, dubbed Ask Ziggy, and it seems to be a hit.

Except for some negative comments here and there, many reviewers on the MarketPlace page for the free app christened it with 4- and 5-star ratings, resulting in an average of 3.5 stars.

"Off to a great start," said one commenter. "As a proof of concept it's funny to see how Apple's 'amazing' interface can be rivaled by a single developer. Looking forward to future updates."

I ran a quick, informal competition between … Read more

Cricket Wireless announced today that it has launched its first LTE market by initiating service in Tucson, Ariz.

The move marks the start of the carrier's transition from 3G CDMA to 4G LTE, a process that will take several years. According to a spokesman for Leap Wireless, Cricket's parent company, the LTE service now covers 90 percent of the Tucson market with additional expansion to Nogales, Ariz., scheduled for 2012.

Beginning today, the carrier will offer two options for LTE service. Though each plan delivers up to 5GB of data per month, people who pay $50 per month … Read more

It's shaping up to be a merry holiday for prepaid wireless service providers MetroPCS and Leap Wireless.

MetroPCS has been successful at drawing in customers with its lower priced family plan promotion, which costs $100 for four lines. Leap, which sells its service under the Cricket Wireless brand, has benefited from its Muve Music service, as well as expanded distribution. Both are expected to exceed expectations, according to Michael Nelson, an analyst at Mizuho Securities.

"Sales appear to be gaining momentum," Nelson said in a research note.

The success of MetroPCS and Leap underscore the shake-up going … Read more

It looks like the LeapPad Explorer could be the hottest tech gift for kids this holiday season.

The tablet for tots is currently out of stock at Wal-Mart, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Toys "R" Us, and other U.S. retailers, according to product-tracking Web site NowInStock.net.

Even the creator of the tablet, LeapFrog, is out of stock and can only simmer down the masses with this vague declaration on its Web site: "Check back often as shipments are arriving regularly." … Read more

Verizon Wireless and Leap Wireless announced a spectrum swap as carriers wheel and deal for network capacity.

Under the deal, Leap Wireless will acquire 12 Mhz of 700 Mhz A-block spectrum in Chicago for $204 million. Verizon will acquire excess spectrum in various markets around the U.S. for $188 million.

A Leap venture--Savary Island Wireless--will also sell spectrum to Verizon for $172 million.

The arrangement comes just a few days after Verizon Wireless acquired wireless spectrum from cable providers to bolster its coverage. The Verizon deal with the cable companies was a nice countermove to AT&T, which … Read more

AT&T's foundering bid to acquire T-Mobile could hinge on a last-minute deal with a second-tier wireless operator, Leap Wireless, to try to allay regulators' antitrust concerns.

That's according to a New York Times report last night, which said AT&T is "knee deep" in talks that would mean both T-Mobile customers and wireless spectrum would be sold to Leap.

Leap is one of a handful of players that might be interested in T-Mobile assets, my colleague Maggie Reardon reports in her FAQ about AT&T's troubles trying to buy T-Mobile. Leap … Read more

MetroPCS saw a slight decrease in its third-quarter profit as its customer growth slowed significantly.

The prepaid wireless provider reported today a profit of $69 million, or 19 cents, compared with a year-earlier profit of $77 million, or 22 cents a share. Revenue rose 18 percent to $1.21 billion.

The company was expected to earn 23 cents a share on revenue of $1.22 billion, according to an average forecast taken by Thomson Reuters.

MetroPCS was hit by a triple whammy this quarter. On the high end, national carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile USA made more … Read more

Leap Wireless saw its third-quarter loss narrow as the tide continues to turn for the better on customer growth.

The prepaid wireless provider, which sells its service under the brand Cricket Wireless, posted a quarterly loss of $68.8 million, or 90 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $536.3 million, or $7.06 a share, when it recorded a charge of $477.3 million for the write-off of assets. Revenue, meanwhile, rose nearly 20 percent to $763.3 million.

Analysts, on average, forecast a loss of 79 cents a share and revenue of $764 million, according … Read more