Leap Wireless, the parent company of the Cricket brand of flat-rate unlimited wireless service has announced that Oklahoma City will be the first of its new AWS markets. The regional carrier specializing in unlimited flat-rate service will be utilizing its new spectrum holdings acquired as a result of the 2006 FCC AWS spectrum auction
The carrier has built out the city and surrounding suburbs with 98 cellsites, and will also offer the same AWS compatible handset lineup as its closest competitor Metro PCS with the UTStarcom CDM-7126, Samsung Spex, and myShot. Cricket will open 5 corporate owned locations, with 58 other locations and also offer a triband connection card for unlimited wireless data access on top of its AWS handset lineup beginning on April 8th.
This is wonderful! Now Oklahomans can get the same shoddy, fly-by-night service from Cricket that we in Portland, Oregon receive! Advice to Okies: just because you see a listing for a Cricket dealer or service location listed on the Cricket website, that doesn’t mean it actually exists. We have at least two locations in Portland listed on Cricket’s website that have long since closed (one on the 600 block of Broadway Avenue, and another at the corner of NE Fremont and 82nd Avenue). From looking at the website, it looks like Cricket is everywhere! But just like the annoying animal it’s named after, this cell phone provider chirps and chirps, yet can’t be found when you want your phone fixed! Oh, and check out that great warranty! It costs you $45 to use it! Doesn’t that wireless option sound good at only $35 a month? But wait, they didn’t mention in the ads that the wireless card will shock you worth $100 for an installation! Cricket? Chirp? Where’s a hammer?