US mobile operators Leap Wireless and T-Mobile USA have agreed to a spectrum swap. The transactions involve T-Mobile, Cook Inlet/VS GSM VII PCS, a joint venture between T-Mobile and Cook Inlet in which T-Mobile has a non-controlling majority interest, and Leap's majority-owned venture Savary Island Wireless. The deal gives Leap, which operates under the brand name Cricket, access to 10 MHz of additional AWS spectrum in Phoenix, Arizona and Houston, Galveston and Bryan-College Station, Texas. T-Mobile and Cook Inlet will get additional spectrum rights in markets in Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The transactions also include intra-market exchanges between Leap, T-Mobile and Cook Inlet, in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City and various markets in Texas and New Mexico, and between Leap and Cook Inlet in certain markets in Texas. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. No financial details were released. Leap said the agreement will support its LTE roll-out plans and give it access to more contiguous spectrum blocks in several markets.
