PARIS -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that Cricket Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary ofLeap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP), has selected Alcatel-Lucent to help expand its network into new markets across the United States, using Cricket’s new Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum, and upgrade existing markets. Under the terms of the five-year agreement Cricket has committed to purchase up to USD126 million worth of equipment, services and software.

Under terms of the agreement, the new market expansion includes the deployment of third-generation (3G) CDMA2000® 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) technology. The CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A network will enable Cricket to provide its customers with new mobile high-speed data services such as Voice over IP (VoIP), Internet access, mobile video telephony, high-quality music and other multimedia applications.

“We are very excited to further expand our Cricket wireless services across many more markets," said Glenn Umetsu, executive vice-president, engineering and technical operations at Leap. "Alcatel-Lucent has been and remains an integral part of our network as we continue to build out and expand our business. Alcatel-Lucent’s solutions are in sync with our business objective of providing our customers with high-quality, high-value mobile services while maintaining our low-cost leadership.”

Alcatel-Lucent also will provide its CDMA2000 1X equipment as part of this deal so that Cricket can continue to provide circuit-switched mobile voice services. Alcatel-Lucent services will provide installation, engineering, training and technical support.

In addition, Alcatel-Lucent will provide its industry leading IP/MPLS solution, which includes the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router and 7450 Ethernet Service Switch, to deploy an IP routing and IP RAN backhaul solution. Built on a single unified IP infrastructure, Alcatel-Lucent’s IP-based solution is designed to support multiple types of services with superior scale, hierarchical quality of service and availability, which are critical for ensuring subscriber Quality of Experience (QoE) for multimedia applications.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to continue our support of Cricket as it expands and evolves its network even further across the United States using its new AWS spectrum,” said Cindy Christy, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s North America business. “In addition, the deployment of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Rev. A technology will enable Cricket to offer its customers exciting new services.”

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU)