DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Leap Wireless International Inc.'s (LEAP) Cricket prepaid phone service will start selling Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone next month, making it the first pre-paid carrier to offer the device in the U.S. Shares jumped 5.8% to $5.77 in premarket trade following the disclosure. The company said it will offer the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with its $55 per month wireless plan. The iPhone 4S will cost customers $499.99 for the 16-gigabyte model. The iPhone 4 will be $399.99. Those prices are markedly higher than offered by other larger carriers that require customers to sign monthly contracts. AT&T Inc. (T), by comparison, is selling the iPhone 4 for $99.99, according to information provided on its website. Verizon Wireless--a venture between Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group PLC (VOD)--was first to break AT&T's iPhone exclusivity last year, followed by Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) in October. -By Mia Lamar, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-3207; mia.lamar@dowjones.com
