Leap plans mobile music service with Musiwave agreement

Leap Wireless International Inc. plans to offer a new mobile music service through its Cricket brand, thanks to a new partnership with mobile music provider Musiwave. Paris-based Musiwave, a subsidiary of Openwave Systems Inc., powers full-track download services, streaming music and other offerings for 35 carriers including Vodafone, Telus, T-Mobile and Orange in 25 countries.
Musiwave and Leap declined to offer any details of the new service, which is slated to come online nationwide later this year. The move is notable as most of the nation’s largest carriers, including Sprint Nextel Corp. Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless L.L.C., are busy expanding their mobile music offerings. Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless offer full-track music downloads, while Cingular offers a service to connect its cellphone customers to online music stores.
Leap offers unlimited cellphone service in a handful of large U.S. cities.
“Cricket chose to collaborate with Musiwave because of their leadership in providing innovative features that drive subscriber value through their mobile music service platform,” said Larry Atwell, director of product development for Leap’s Cricket brand. “Cricket has always been about value; we provide unlimited usage and anytime minutes for customers at some of the lowest rates in the industry. We believe Musiwave’s solutions align with Cricket’s strategy, supporting our goals of predictability, simplicity and usability.”
Musiwave primarily does business in Europe; the company’s deal with Leap marks its first venture into the United States.