You've probably seen the bright green stores in strip malls or caught one of those "Smile, You're on Cricket" commercials while scrolling through your feed. If you’re a Cricket customer, or thinking about becoming one, you might have noticed something interesting on your phone’s status bar or deep in the fine print of your monthly bill. Specifically, a mention of AT&T.
It leads to a pretty common question: Does AT&T own Cricket Wireless? The short answer is a big, fat yes. But honestly, the "why" and "how" behind that ownership is way more interesting than just a corporate line on a spreadsheet. It’s a story of a massive $1.2 billion gamble that changed how we buy cell phone plans in the US.
The Day AT&T Swallowed Leap Wireless
Back in the early 2010s, the wireless world looked a lot different. Cricket wasn't the green giant it is now. It was actually the "child" of a company called Leap Wireless International. Leap was a scrappy player based out of San Diego that pioneered the whole "unlimited everything for one flat price" idea.
They were the first to really tell customers, "Hey, you don't need a credit check or a two-year contract to get a decent phone."
But Leap hit a wall. They used a technology called CDMA (the same stuff old-school Verizon and Sprint used), which was getting expensive to maintain. They needed more spectrum—the invisible airwaves that carry your TikToks and FaceTime calls—and they needed a lot of it.
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In July 2013, AT&T stepped in with a checkbook.
They offered to buy Leap Wireless for $15 a share in cash. By the time the dust settled and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) gave the thumbs up in March 2014, the deal was worth about **$1.2 billion**.
Why did AT&T even want Cricket?
It wasn't just about the customers. AT&T actually had its own prepaid brand at the time called Aio Wireless. If you don't remember Aio, don't worry. Nobody does.
AT&T realized that the "Cricket" name had way more "street cred" and brand recognition than Aio ever would. So, they did the classic corporate move: they killed off Aio, moved those customers over to Cricket, and kept the Cricket name for their entire prepaid empire.
Is Cricket Just AT&T in a Green Suit?
Kinda. But also no.
Since 2014, Cricket has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AT&T. This is a fancy business term that basically means AT&T owns 100% of the stock and calls the shots, but Cricket still gets to keep its own name, its own quirky marketing, and its own separate retail stores.
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Think of it like a restaurant group. AT&T is the parent company that owns a five-star steakhouse (AT&T Postpaid) and a really good, affordable burger joint (Cricket). They both use the same kitchen (the network), but the experience and the price tag are totally different.
The Network Secret
Here is the part that actually matters to your signal bars: Cricket doesn't have its own towers. Not anymore.
Before the merger, Leap Wireless had its own network. After AT&T took over, they spent about 18 months moving every single Cricket customer over to the AT&T 4G LTE and 5G network. They even shut down the old Leap CDMA network entirely in September 2015.
If you have Cricket today, you are using the exact same cell towers as the person paying $90 a month for a "premium" AT&T plan.
The Pros and Cons of This Corporate Marriage
You'd think being owned by a massive titan like AT&T would be all sunshine and rainbows, but there are some trade-offs.
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The Good Stuff:
- Coverage: You get AT&T’s massive footprint. Whether you're in a rural part of Georgia or downtown Chicago, the coverage is generally rock-solid.
- Perks: Because AT&T owns other stuff (like the Max streaming service), they can bundle it. If you're on Cricket's top-tier $60 plan, you get Max (with ads) for free.
- Stability: Cricket isn't going out of business tomorrow. They have the deep pockets of a Fortune 500 company backing them up.
The "Meh" Stuff:
- Data Speeds: In the past, AT&T used to "throttle" or cap Cricket speeds at 8 Mbps. They've mostly stopped doing that on their newer plans, but during times of high traffic—like at a crowded stadium—AT&T will prioritize their own "postpaid" customers over Cricket users. This is called deprioritization.
- Hotspot Limits: AT&T is a lot stingier with hotspot data on Cricket than they are on their flagship plans.
- Device Locking: If you buy a phone from a Cricket store, it’s locked to the "Cricket/AT&T" ecosystem for a while. You can’t just jump to T-Mobile the next day without jumping through some hoops.
Who Runs the Show?
While Randall Stephenson and later John Stankey have been the big bosses at AT&T, Cricket has its own leadership. Currently, John Dwyer serves as the President of the AT&T Prepaid Portfolio, which includes Cricket.
He reports to the higher-ups at AT&T Mobility, but for the most part, Cricket is allowed to stay "scrappy." They focus on the $30 to $60 price points, while the main AT&T brand focuses on the $70+ "premium" market.
What This Means for Your Wallet
Honestly, the fact that AT&T owns Cricket is the only reason Cricket is still competitive.
By using AT&T’s existing towers, Cricket doesn't have to spend billions of dollars building their own infrastructure. They pass those savings on to you. That's why you can get four lines for $100 or $130, which is something you'll almost never see on the "main" AT&T website.
It’s a classic "Value Brand" play. It allows AT&T to make money from the budget-conscious college student and the high-earning corporate executive at the same time, without the executive feeling like they're overpaying for a "budget" service.
Actionable Steps: Should You Make the Switch?
If you're currently paying a fortune for a big-name carrier, knowing that AT&T owns Cricket should give you some peace of mind. It’s not some fly-by-night operation.
Check these things before you move:
- Look at your current "premium" data usage. If you use 100GB of data a month and live in a crowded city, you might notice the deprioritization on Cricket. If you're a normal human who uses Wi-Fi at home, you probably won't.
- Verify your phone's compatibility. Most unlocked iPhones and Samsungs work perfectly on Cricket because they already have the "radio guts" to talk to AT&T towers.
- Check the "port-in" deals. Cricket is famous for giving away free Android phones or heavily discounted iPhones if you bring your number over from a competitor like T-Mobile or Verizon. Just remember: you usually can't get these deals if you are moving from AT&T to Cricket, because they consider that "moving money from one pocket to another."
The bottom line is simple: Cricket is AT&T's way of winning over the price-sensitive crowd. You get the network, they get your monthly payment, and the "Smile" stays on the storefront.