Cricket Launches Affordable, Unlimited Mobile Phone Service in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – December 6, 2006 – Imagine wireless service with no annual contracts, no credit checks and the ability to talk and text as much as you want for one low, flat monthly rate.  Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of unlimited wireless services, enters the San Diego market today with its simple and affordable mobile phone service. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego

Cricket wireless service, which includes unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text messaging, picture messaging, instant messaging, and calling features including voicemail, caller ID and call waiting, will be widely available throughout the county, from Oceanside to the Mexico border and as far east as Poway and Lakeside, according to Fernando Corona, regional vice president of the Southwest region for Cricket.

“We are very excited to offer our simple and affordable mobile phone service in the San Diego area,” added Corona.  “Our unique offer and high-quality network are the perfect alternative for San Diegans who are tired of high phone bills, dropped calls and restricting contracts.  Residents and businesses alike will be able to talk all they want with flat-rate, unlimited plans and no annual contracts.”

To promote its unlimited text messaging offer, Cricket is holding a 10-day contest to find San Diego’s fastest text messager. Cricket’s “San Diego’s Fastest Text Messager Contest” will provide local residents an opportunity to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest text messager, and beat America’s fastest text messager, Provo, Utah, Cricket customer Ben Cook.  To Beat Ben, contestants must accurately type a Guinness-approved message on their cell phone, without the help of the predictive text feature, in less than Ben’s record of 42.2 seconds. San Diego’s fastest fingers will win one year of free Cricket service, a brand new Kyocera phone and $1,000.  Qualifying competitions will take place Wednesday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 13, at all five San Diego Cricket retail locations.  The finals competition and an open-call for additional contestants will be held Saturday, December 16, at Westfield Mission Valley shopping center beginning at 11:00 a.m.

In addition to the text messaging competition, Cricket will be hosting many other activities throughout the launch week, including live entertainment and free food at all store locations.  The Cricket launch festivities will also include a “Shopping Shuttle” program where volunteer-driven golf cars will help transport busy holiday shoppers from the stores to their parked vehicles. The Shopping Shuttle program, which began the Friday after Thanksgiving, and will continue through December 24 at Westfield Shoppingtown’s Mission Valley, Parkway Plaza and Plaza Bonita Springs centers. Also, Cricket will be giving away free Starbucks coffee at the San Ysidro border crossing from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 6.

Cricket service will kick off in the San Diego market today with the opening of five retail stores located throughout the county.  Stores are located in Plaza San Marcos at 740 Nordahl Road, Suite 110, San Marcos, Calif., 92069; Carlsbad at 1818 Marron Rd. Carlsbad, Calif., 92008; San Ysidro Village at 4530 Camino de la Plaza, San Diego, Calif., 92173; Southcrest Park Plaza at 1490 S. 43rd Street, Suite E, San Diego, Calif., 92113; and 5399 El Cajon Boulevard, San Diego, Calif., 92115.  Cricket service plans can also be purchased at more than 50 Cricket-exclusive wireless retailers in the San Diego area and over 75 other retail locations across San Diego county. Please visit www.mycricket.com/sandiego for store locations and service plan details.