US operator Leap Wireless is to become the first prepaid operator in the country to offer Apple’s iPhone.

Leap’s Cricket prepaid brand will offer both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with its US$55 per-month, all-inclusive unlimited talk, text and data plan, beginning 22 June. Cricket’s ‘fair usage’ policy caps monthly data use at 2.3GB.

The operator will sell the 16GB iPhone 4S for US$499.99 and the 8GB iPhone 4 for US$399.99, significantly higher than the upfront costs levied by its contract-based rivals but requiring no long-term commitment.  

"Launching iPhone is a major milestone for us and we are proud to offer iPhone customers attractive nationwide coverage, a robust 3G data network and a value-packed, no-contract plan," said Leap’s president and CEO Doug Hutcheson.

Leap Wireless had 6.2 million mobile connections in Q1 2012, according to Wireless Intelligence data, making it one of the country’s largest prepaid operators.