AT&T Profit Falls in Q3, Passes 100M Wireless Subs

AT&T may have activated 2.7M iPhones during the quarter but Android also represents almost half of smartphone sales

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

October 20, 2011

1 Min Read
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AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as it passed 100 million wireless subscribers, the company said Thursday morning.

AT&T posted a net gain in total wireless subscribers of 2.1 million during the quarter, to reach 100.7 million in service. Sales of Android devices more than doubled year over year, and almost half of all smartphone sales were non-iPhone devices. During the quarter, 2.7 million iPhones were activated, AT&T said.

The operator posted a profit of US$3.6 billion, or $0.61 per share, compared with a profit of $12.32 billion or $2.07 per share in the same quarter in 2010. Last year's third quarter included one-time gains from a tax settlement and the sale of Sterling Commerce. Excluding one-time gains, earnings were $0.54 in the third quarter a year ago.

Revenues fell 0.3 percent to $31.48 billion from $31.58 billion a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected revenue of $31.60 billion for the 2011 quarter.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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