Cricket inks $126M deal to launch EVDO Rev. A

Cricket Wireless, a subsidiary of Leap Wireless, inked a five-year agreement to purchase up to $126 million in equipment, services and software from Alcatel-Lucent. The carrier is expanding its network and upgrading some parts of it to EVDO Rev. A. The upgrade will allow Cricket to provide high-speed data services like VoIP, Internet access, mobile video and music. Alcatel-Lucent will provide installation, engineering, training and technical support services to the carrier, too. The VoIP capabilities of Rev. A seem particularly compelling for a flat-rate service provider, like Cricket, since moving subscribers off of a busy circuit-switched network could prove lucrative over time.

For more on Cricket's Rev. A plans:
- read this press release [1]