1998 - Leap Wireless International, Inc. Is Founded
Leap Wireless International, Inc. is founded as a spin-off of QUALCOMM on September 23rd, with 30 employees and a vision to provide affordable wireless services to a wide range of customers.
Harvey White named Chief Executive Officer
1999 - Cricket Wireless Service Launches
Leap begins as primarily an international company with interest in wireless opportunities abroad. While the majority of employees are focused on the international marketplace, a small group is working on a new business concept for the U.S. marketplace called Cricket
Cricket Wireless service launches on March 17th in its first market, Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a flat rate, all-you-can-talk unlimited voice service for just $30 a month
Cricket introduces its Comfortable Wireless campaign
Leap is first listed on NASDAQ on September 11, 1999 under the ticker symbol LWIN
2000 - Cricket Wireless Service Expands
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into nine additional markets: Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Greensboro, Tulsa, Tucson, Charlotte, Little Rock and Salt Lake City
2001 - Cricket Celebrates 1 Million Customers
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into twenty-three additional markets: Albuquerque, Wichita, Pueblo, Spokane, Fort Smith, Macon, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Fayetteville, Phoenix, Denver, Boise, Dayton, Omaha, Salem, Reno, Fort Collins, Jonesboro, Modesto/Merced, Visalia, Eugene, Lincoln and Syracuse
Cricket celebrates its 1,000,000th customer
Data network upgrade to CDMA 1X technology competed
2002 - Cricket Completes Initial Expansion
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into Buffalo, successfully completing its initial expansion into 34 markets
Cricket launches Cricket Talk
2003 - Leap Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Leap files voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 in federal bankruptcy court
2004 - A New Company Emerges
The newly-restructured company emerges from bankruptcy
Cricket launches Cricket Clicks
Cricket introduces first unlimited long distance plan
2005 - Leap Hits NASDAQ, Again
Leap Wireless is re-listed on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “LEAP”
Doug Hutcheson named President and Chief Executive Officer
Jump by Cricket introduced
Introduction of unlimited picture messaging
Premier dealer structure introduced
Cricket “K” unveiled
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service introduced in Fresno
Cricket’s market cluster strategy begins in Central California
2006 - Cricket Celebrates 2 Million Customers
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into thirteen new markets: El Paso, Colorado Springs, San Antonio, Bryan/College Station, Houston, Cincinnati, Lexington, Louisville, Austin, Temple-Killeen, Kansas City, San Diego and Portland
Cricket celebrates its 2,000,000th customer
Company surpasses $250 million in adjusted OIBDA for the year-end 2006
Company launches mobile web
Transitioned long distance to VOIP (voice over IP protocol)
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into Portland, Oregon
2007 - Cricket Upgrades Network to CDMA 1XEVDO Technology
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into four new markets: Charleston, Rochester, Raleigh/Durham and Eagle Pass/ Del Rio
Data network upgrade to CDMA 1XEVDO 3G technology completed
Cricket-by-the-Week and BridgePay introduced
Unlimited messaging added to all service plans
Roaming minutes bundled into higher-value service plans
Unlimited text messaging to Mexico offered
RingBack tones offered
2008 - Leap Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary
Leap celebrates its tenth anniversary and begins its third wave of major footprint expansion
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into eight new markets: Oklahoma, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen/Brownsville, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Savannah and Milwaukee/Madison
Cricket celebrates its 3,000,000th customer
Leap purchases Hargray's wireless business in South Carolina
First Cricket-developed handset launches, the Cricket EZ
Cricket launches world’s first CDMA AWS handset, the UTStarcom CDM7126
Premium Extended Coverage rolled out nationwide
Cricket launches its Broadband and PAYGo™ services
2009 - Cricket Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary
Cricket celebrates its tenth anniversary
Leap’s Cricket Wireless service launches into five new markets: Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Beaumont/Lake Charles.
Cricket completes its facilities-based network expansion covering 95 million potential customers in 35 states
Cricket becomes the 7th largest wireless carrier in the U.S., and is distinguished as a Fortune® 1000 company
Cricket celebrates its 4,000,000th customer
2010 - Cricket Launches Nationwide Coverage and Smartphones
Cricket rolls out all-inclusive, nationwide talk and text “True Rate” service plans and nationwide 3G coverage
Cricket celebrates its 5,000,000th customer
Cricket enters into strategic wholesale agreement with Sprint
Cricket launches its first-ever Android® smartphone Sanyo ZIO by Kyocera
Cricket and Pocket Communications form a Cricket-controlled and managed joint venture in San Antonio, Texas
2011 - Cricket Begins Nationwide Distribution
Muve Music® from Cricket launches as the first unlimited music service designed for the mobile phone that does not require a computer
Muve Music on the Android™ Platform introduced
Cricket begins to offer its products and services nationwide
“Your Call” marketing campaign is introduced
Cricket begins network transition to 4G LTE with first commercial market launch in Tucson, Arizona
2012 - Cricket Becomes First Prepaid Carrier in U.S. to offer iPhone
Cricket celebrates its 6,000,000th customer
Cricket’s Muve Music exceeds 500,000 customers in less than one year
Huawei Mercury from Cricket is the named best prepaid smartphone in America by PC Magazine
Cricket and Clearwire enter into long-term wholesale 4G LTE agreement
Cricket becomes the first prepaid carrier in the U.S. to offer its customers iPhone
