Leap's network starting to look more national

Leap and Metro put their legal differences behind them and signed a reciprocal roaming agreement in September. Two months later, Metro launched the mirror-image version of Leap’s premium coverage map: a new in-network roaming area covering 300 cities, many of which are presumably Leap’s. Just as Leap gained access to Metro’s key large markets such as San Francisco, Dallas and Los Angeles, Metro gained access to Leap’s more extensive network of smaller and mid-sized markets. As both operators grow, though, they’ll see their respective premium footprints increase substantially. Metro just turned up its network in Philadelphia, beginning a major East Coast expansion that will bring New York City and Boston into its footprint by next summer. Meanwhile Leap is preparing to launch its largest market, Chicago.

For the operators to take full advantage of those top four markets, they have to upgrade their existing subscribers’ handsets. They are all being built over Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) spectrum Leap and Metro won at auction in 2006. As AWS runs on different frequencies then PCS, customers will need dual-mode phones to roam between the two types of networks. Both operators are changing out their handset portfolios with the aim of offering only dual-mode handsets.