Leap Wireless International Inc. will begin
offering the iPhone through its Cricket Communications
division, becoming the first prepaid carrier in the U.S.
to sell Apple?s smartphone.
The company will start offering the iPhone 4S and iPhone
4 with its $55 unlimited talk, text and data plan on
June 22. The newer 4S model will cost about $500 and the
iPhone 4 will be priced at $400.
While you can buy an iPhone off contract and go on
AT&T's or T-Mobile or any GSM carriers network, this is
the first time Apple has let the iPhone play in the
specific prepaid market. The device won't be subsidized
the way it is at the major wireless providers,
potentially making it a harder sell. At the other
carriers, the iPhone 4S is $199.
"Our customers want the best products available," Doug
Hutcheson, chief executive officer of Leap, said in the
statement. "Launching iPhone is a major milestone for
us."