Leap expands flat-rates to mobile video

Leap Wireless has added mobile video to its offerings, drawing from the content libraries of GoTV, Fuel, 5280 Mobile 5280 and others. For a flat-rate of $5 per month, Cricket Communications subscribers can view one- to four-minute-long streamed video clips directly on their handsets. The videos supplied by Cricket’s content-provider partners will span topics ranging from music to sports to entertainment or animation.

According to Eric Burger, project manager on mobile video for Cricket, QuickPlay will also provide some content, as well as the enabling technology to render and optimize the clips for the mobile handset. Cricket, which has a large Hispanic subscriber base, will is including in the package Spanish-language content within each content category from companies like Mis Rolas and Es Musica.

“We were really shooting for unlimited video entertainment on the go, and we were able to work with certain content providers to promote that business model, so we could get that out there for $5 unlimited video downloads,” Burger said.

No additional data charges will apply, and the unlimited plan can be added to any Cricket user’s account. The mobile video search interface is designed so consumers can easily find the most popular or recommended clips based on past usage as well as browse by their area of interest. Cricket customers with video-enabled devices can also trial the service on select handsets over the WAP browser. Burger said Leap is not aiming to replicate YouTube’s mobile service, and he sees a market as having room for both applications.

“We think we’ve hit the mark by providing high-quality entertainment on the go in an unlimited fashion for our customers, so they can go to one place on the deck and get all that type of content,” he said.

Leap, which has recently been adding handsets to its lineup, is known for its simple, cheap flat-rate wireless services, no subsidies or long-term contract requirements. The mobile video service will run over its 3G PCS networks in the US as well as on the recently built Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) networks. At launch, the service is immediately available on six Motorola handsets. In the near future, Leap will also roll it out to its Samsung and Nokia models, Burger said.