MetroPCS, Leap in roaming deal

Regional cellular carriers MetroPCS Communications Inc. and Leap Wireless International Inc. have made a business out of offering cheap talk plans, but their limited service areas have kept them tiny compared with the major national carriers.

Now those service areas are about to balloon. The two are set to announce that starting next week, they will allow free roaming on each other’s networks for users on their more expensive monthly plans.

For other subscribers, roaming will cost $5 per month.

With the move, the two are laying claim to having a “nationwide” network, though it doesn’t yet cover some large cities, such as New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington.