Cricket Teams Up with LightSquared to Offer 4G LTE Roaming

Cricket and LightSquared, a company specialized in integrated wireless broadband and satellite networks, have signed an agreement to supplement the LTE coverage that carriers plan to deploy in the next few years with a LTE roaming service.

The carrier hinted to this turn of events, during CTIA 2011 when it revealed plans to launch a 4G LTE compatible smartphone, the Samsung Indulge.

“Our business progress demonstrates how data services are increasingly important to our customers, as evidenced by our customers' significant uptake of smartphones and data-focused, higher-ARPU service plans,” said Doug Hutcheson, Leap's President and CEO. “We intend to deploy our own LTE networks beginning this year to complement the existing nationwide 3G services we currently offer to customers.”

This is the perfect deal for LightSquared who previously stated that it had no interest in starting up its own branded 4G carrier, instead offering LTE wholesale deals to various network operators.

Even though Cricket is a small carrier and does not have the time and money to deploy its own 4G network anytime soon, the new agreement is meant to counter MetroPCS' technological advantage over the former.

MetroPCS, Cricket's main rival deployed its own LTE network last year even before Verizon, and is now offering two 4G compatible handsets (Samsung Galaxy Indulge).

“Leap is a fantastic company and we're excited to do business with them,” said Sanjiv Ahuja, chairman and CEO of LightSquared. “Cricket customers' appetite for wireless data is growing exponentially and in ways no one could have envisioned even a few years ago. By providing a wholesale-only nationwide 4G LTE network complemented by satellite coverage, LightSquared will help Leap meet its customers' demand for universal, affordable broadband connectivity.”

Financial and other terms of the roaming agreement haven't been disclosed by neither of the companies.