Leap taps Alcatel-Lucent for Rev. A upgrade, network expansion

Leap Wireless International Inc. has signaled its commitment to deploying CDMA2000 1x EV-DO Revision A by choosing Alcatel-Lucent to build out the carrier’s new spectrum acquired in the advanced wireless service auction and to upgrade its existing markets.
Leap subsidiary Cricket Communications Inc., the brand under which Leap’s flat-rate service is sold, has agreed to purchase up to $126 million in equipment, services and software for its network from Alcatel-Lucent.
According to Leap, the new market expansion includes the deployment of EV-DO Rev. A technology to enable voice over Internet Protocol, Internet access, mobile video, music and other multimedia applications.
Leap and its auction partner Denali Spectrum License L.L.C. acquired spectrum in the AWS auction covering the Great Lakes and central regions of the U.S., plus specific markets such as Seattle, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.