Five Questions With: John Dwyer

SMOOTH TALK: "People are choosing practical solutions that offer everything they need and nothing they don’t. They wanted flexibility, transparency and control – and Cricket is leading the way by offering value without sacrifice." / COURTESY CRICKET
SMOOTH TALK: "People are choosing practical solutions that offer everything they need and nothing they don’t. They wanted flexibility, transparency and control – and Cricket is leading the way by offering value without sacrifice." / COURTESY CRICKET

John Dwyer, president of Cricket Wireless, talks with Providence Business News about the company’s growth as a prepaid wireless service provider and how it has entered the Rhode Island market.

PBN: Tell me about Cricket Wireless and how the company got started.
DWYER:
AT&T saw an opportunity in the prepaid wireless space and pursued it aggressively with wholly owned subsidiary, Aio, in 2013, then acquired Cricket, and merged the two companies, launching the new Cricket in 2014.

The acquisition and merger enabled AT&T’s prepaid subsidiary to scale fast, turning two regional wireless carriers into one, very competitive national industry player with access to the resources and expertise of a global telecommunications provider.

Cricket is now a leading prepaid wireless company. We helped make commonplace no-annual contract plans, in which prices include all monthly taxes and fees. We upgraded the prepaid wireless experience with a reliable nationwide 4G LTE network, a simple selection of plans that are easy to understand and top-notch devices and stores designed through the lens of customer expectations – decluttering and creating a friendly shopping environment, which was uncommon in the prepaid space.

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PBN: Why did you want to expand into Rhode Island?
DWYER:
We are constantly looking for ways to excite people with our offers that raise the bar of excellence in the prepaid wireless industry. That includes having convenient store locations that offer Cricket service and a differentiated customer experience whether they walk into a store or call us. The formula is simple. Give customers more for less and exceed their expectations.

PBN: How many locations will there be in Rhode Island? How many employees do you expect to hire locally?

DWYER: We have more than 4,200 company-owned and authorized retailer stores nationwide and nearly 14,000 points of distribution thanks to strategic relationships with national retailers including Target, Best Buy, Aaron’s, Game Stop, Sam’s Club and Walmart.

Cricket has 34 points of distribution in Rhode Island, which includes nine authorized retail stores. All Cricket retail locations in Rhode Island are owned and operated by local small-business owners and are fully responsible for hiring employees. As Cricket continues to expand its authorized retail footprint, it creates more local employment opportunities for the communities where our customers live, work and play.

PBN: Is the market for prepaid wireless service growing?
DWYER:
Since 2013, prepaid has evolved from the last resort to a smart savvy choice in wireless. Economic recessions of the last decade forced customers to evolve their perception of prepaid options and adopt smarter money skills.

People are choosing practical solutions that offer everything they need and nothing they don’t. They wanted flexibility, transparency and control – and Cricket is leading the way by offering value without sacrifice.

PBN: What are the benefits to having these types of plans?
DWYER:
Cricket provides consumers more value with a simple, friendly and reliable nationwide wireless experience with no annual contract and plans starting at $30 with monthly taxes and fees included.
Cricket plans include:

  • Unlimited nationwide talk, text and data access on Cricket’s nationwide 4G LTE network that covers more than 318 million people
  • Unlimited high speed data access on Cricket’s $70 plan
  • Customers can talk and surf at the same time
  • Unlimited calls, texts and messaging to and from, and in and between the U.S., Mexico and Canada included in $50/month and higher plans. Primary usage must occur in the U.S.

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