Cricket brings its very first 4G LTE network to Tucson, Arizona

So far, 2011 has been a banner year in the world of 4G LTE, as Verizon quickly doused a good portion of the country with its flavorful high-speed data network. Meanwhile, AT&T managed to get on board towards the latter portion of the year, but nonetheless, they’re finally in the game. Although prepaid carrier MetroPCS has an established footprint in the 4G LTE game, rival prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless is now in the mix as well.

Leap Wireless, the parent company of Cricket, announced the wonderful news that they’ve launch their very first 4G LTE network. Specifically, the Tucson, Arizona market is being blanketed with the high-speed goodness – with more than 90 percent of the Tucson area covered. Moreover, it’s expected to expand even further into nearby Nogales, Arizona in 2012.

Doug Hutcheson, president and CEO of Leap Wireless, said, “The introduction of Cricket 4G LTE in Tucson as our first commercial market is an early milestone in our transition to LTE that will allow us to continue to offer our customers high-quality products and services with the latest technology at the value price they've come to expect. Cricket is the leader in providing the best value in the wireless industry. That leadership comes from introducing new products and services, like LTE, in a thoughtful manner and on a timeline that is appropriate for our value conscious customers.”

As it stands, Cricket’s 4G LTE service will pump out speeds that are 5 to 10 times faster than its current 3G data speeds. Also, with its recent availability in the area, they’re also offering the Huawei Boltz for $149.99, which is their first 4G LTE USB modem. In terms of plans, Cricket’s LTE service will start at $50 per month, which grants customers 5GB of data per month at approximately speeds of up to 3Mbps – though, the $60 per month plan goes up with its 6Mbps speeds.

source: PR Newswire