U.S. Carrier Offers First iPhone on Prepaid Plan

Cricket Communications said Thursday it would be the first U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone to customers under a prepaid plan, a move expanding the footprint of the wildly popular Apple device.

Cricket, a unit of Leap Wireless International, will offer the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with its $55 per month, all-inclusive plan.

Apple, which now has around 30 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, initially sold the iPhone only through AT&T. It has since reached deals with Verizon, Sprint and other carriers.

But Cricket said it was a "major milestone" to offer the "value-packed, no-contract plan" for iPhone users.

The iPhone 4S will start at $500 and the iPhone 4 at $400.