By Weston Henderek, Current Analysis
Regional carriers such as Leap Wireless and MetroPCS have been offering their own brand of affordable unlimited wireless calling plans for many years. But neither carrier was really regarded as a threat to nationwide carriers because of small local market coverage, limited device selection and lack of a national presence.
But this appears to be changing. Over the past year, MetroPCS and Leap have improved their market position thanks to better coverage and the launch of new markets. In addition, Leap now has plans that include national roaming. These changes are evident in recent subscriber growth figures. Leap just announced that it added 318,000 net subscribers in first quarter 2007. That is a hefty improvement from the 110,000 subscribers it added during the same quarter one year ago.
Read the rest of this feature at the FierceWireless website by clicking here.
Weston Henderek is senior analyst, wireless services with Current Analysis, a competitive analysis firm.