AT&T Inc. reported fourth-quarter results highlighted by record mobile broadband sales, strong wireless network performance and improved wireline revenue trends. Consolidated revenues clocked in at $32.5 billion, up 3.6 percent compared to the year-earlier quarter. They recorded a huge net loss for Q4 2011 of $6.7 billion, or $1.12 per diluted share. These results compare with reported net income attributable to AT&T of $1.1 billion, or $0.18 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2010. Excluding significant items, earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2010 was $0.55 per diluted share.
“We had a tremendous year in terms of execution, and we have excellent momentum across our growth platforms,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer. “This was a blowout quarter for smartphone sales. Our network performance is at a high level on voice quality and best-in-class mobile download speeds. U-verse sales continue to be strong and business revenue trends are on a good track.
Results Highlights:
- 9.4 million smartphone sales, best-ever quarter and 50 percent more than previous quarterly record and nearly double 3Q11 sales; 82 percent of postpaid sales were smartphones
- 717,000 wireless postpaid net adds, the largest increase in five quarters; 2.5 million increase in total net wireless subscribers, with gains in every customer category
- Best-ever quarter for Android and Apple smartphones, including 7.6 million iPhone activations
- 571,000 branded computing device (tablets, aircards, etc.) sales, best-ever quarter to reach 5.1 million total subscribers; up almost 70 percent from a year ago
- 12th consecutive quarter with a year-over-year increase in postpaid wireless subscriber ARPU (average monthly revenues per subscriber), up 1.4 percent to $63.76 – more than $6 higher than nearest competitor’s ARPU
- Second consecutive quarter of sequential growth in wireline business revenues
- Sixth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in wireline consumer revenues, driven by AT&T U-verse® services
- 208,000 net gain in AT&T U-verse TV subscribers to reach 3.8 million in service, with continued high broadband and voice attach rates