Cricket Communications enters busy mobile phone market

Updated: 3/11/09 at 10:18 p.m.
Your choices for cell phone carrier are about to get busier.
According to a company press release, Cricket Communications has entered the scrum to provide cheap mobile phone plans to Philadelphians, joining a growing battle between Boost Mobile, Metro PCS and others. [Full Disclosure: I have a Boost Mobile plan]
Update: Philadelphia is currently the largest market in the country with the three largest prepaid mobile companies, a Boost spokesman said.

“In our current economic landscape, it’s more important than ever for wireless carriers to show that they respect people’s wallets while ultimately providing value,” said Andy Cook, area general manager for Cricket in Philadelphia. “With the launch of Cricket wireless phone and Internet services in Philadelphia, consumers now have a wireless carrier that understands their financial needs and concerns without sacrificing great service and features.”
Cricket is hosting a week’s full of events to promote its market entry — see more here.
The company, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Leap Wireless International, plans to open 20 retail store locations in the Delaware Valley, including 12 stores in Philadelphia. The rest reach out into the suburbs, and from South Jersey to Wilmington, Del. [Full Disclosure: Sean Blanda loves Delaware].
Yesterday, Cricket held opening ceremonies at a new location at 2900 N. Broad Street, near the Allegheny West neighborhood of North Philadelphia – not exactly the “Center City” location it boasted in its press release. The ceremony featured performances by aerialists and acrobats and the presentation of a $20,000 check to Sister Mary Scullion and Project H.O.M.E.

In addition to unlimited mobile phone services, Cricket is also offering Cricket Broadband, giving customers unlimited high-speed Internet access at home or around town anywhere in Cricket’s coverage areas on their desktop or laptop computers. Cricket Broadband service is just $35 per month for customers who also have Cricket’s low-cost unlimited voice plans, and $40 per month as a stand-alone service. …
Cricket’s coverage area expands from Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs, across South Jersey to Atlantic City and down to Wilmington in Northern Delaware. Cricket rate plans also include unlimited use is all Cricket markets across the U.S., including Pittsburgh and Chicago, as well as Premium Extended Coverage, which allows unlimited use in an even broader area stretching from New York and Boston to California and from Wisconsin to Texas. [Source]

Hat tip to the Business Journal.