Leap to Introduce New Unique Nationwide Cricket Monthly Voice and Broadband Products Into Broad National Retail Distribution

~ Company to Unveil New $40 and $45 Monthly Service Plans, Soon to be Available in Thousands of Locations Nationwide ~

• On Wednesday September 16, 2009, 7:00 am EDT

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP [1] - News [2]), a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless communications services, today announced the introduction of two new, all-inclusive nationwide Cricket monthly voice products into thousands of new mass market retail locations nationwide. These new products, to be available at four of the most trusted names in ‘big box' national retail, bring Cricket's industry-leading value proposition to the primary battle ground for wireless customers.

The new all-inclusive monthly $40 and $45 plans, to be available only through these mass merchants, will be added to the Company's existing Cricket PAYGo's^TM product, which currently offers unlimited daily wireless service, all without a signed contract or credit check. The $40 plan includes unlimited talk, US long distance, access to Cricket's premium extended calling area, domestic and international text and picture messaging. The $45 plan has all the unlimited features of the $40 plan plus unlimited mobile Web and directory assistance. The new nationwide products include all fees and telecom taxes as well as voicemail, call waiting, caller ID and three-way calling over Cricket's 3G EVDO network. Airtime, or top-up, cards for Cricket PAYGo will be available in these four national retailers and thousands of other locations across the country.

In addition, Cricket Broadband will soon be available in nearly 1,000 national retailer stores through a new all-inclusive $50 monthly service plan. The new plan will include all fees and taxes and provides unlimited Internet access without a signed contract or credit check. The Cricket A600 modem will be available as a grab-and-go offering for $69.99 with no activation fee. $50.00 top-up cards will also be available for this product.

Over the next several weeks, Cricket will introduce these products across the Company's coverage area and they are expected to be in place for the holiday shopping season. Once rolled out, Cricket's new nationwide monthly voice and broadband products will be available in approximately 3,500 national retail stores, an increase from the current 2,500 points of distribution. Individual retail partners will be announced in the coming weeks as these new products are deployed in their stores.

"Our partnership with four of the country's most trusted names in national retail will allow Cricket to significantly expand our distribution footprint with nationwide monthly products that have industry-leading price and value and are simple to understand and use. These new products are customized, cost efficient and channel differentiated," said Al Moschner, Leap's chief operating officer. "Our experience over the last year in national retail with our daily PAYGo product has given us confidence to undertake this strategic and broad-based move which we believe will introduce our products to additional customers. This strategy also allows us to reinvent how customers purchase broadband and gives the Company a significant growth opportunity that no one else presently delivers."

Customers will be able to choose from an assortment of Cricket phones specific to each and which operate on Cricket's 3G EVDO network. Once a selection is made the customer can choose a Cricket PAYGo service plan that best fits their needs, either daily or monthly. Customers can then purchase ‘top-up' payment cards to activate service on day as well as pay for future service.

About Leap

Leap provides innovative, high-value wireless services to a fast-growing, young and ethnically diverse customer base. With the value of unlimited wireless services as the foundation of its business, Leap pioneered its Cricket^® service. The Company and its joint ventures operate in 34 states and the District of Columbia and hold licenses in 35 of the top 50 U.S. markets. Through its affordable, flat-rate service plans, Cricket offers customers a choice of unlimited voice, text, high-speed data and mobile Web services. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Leap is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "LEAP." For more information, please visit www.leapwireless.com [3].

Contact:

Leap Wireless International, Inc.
Greg Lund, Media Relations
858-882-9105
glund@leapwireless.com [4]
or
Amy Wakeham, Investor Relations
858-882-6084
awakeham@leapwireless.com [5]