The third quarter pretty much explains why we’ll see a Verizon Wireless iPhone in the coming months. AT&T had a robust quarter, adding 2.6 million new connections in the quarter ending Sept. 30, while Verizon added 997,000 subscribers. At $62.84, AT&T’s postpaid average revenue per user is also well above its rivals, including Verizon at $55.66, thanks largely to the iPhone. Verizon still boasts better margins with higher wireless operating income, but when you consider that AT&T registered 5.2 million iPhone activations in the third quarter, it may mean that Big Red is ready to embrace Apple’s iPhone.
| Leap Wireless: |
|---|
| Wireless Service Revenue: $565.2 million |
| Operating Loss: $478.1 million |
| Wireless Data Revenue: N/A |
| Net Subscriber Loss: 200,000 |
| Total Subscribers: 5 million |
| Prepaid Churn: 5.1 percent |
| Prepaid ARPU: $37.02 |
| Metro PCS: |
|---|
| Wireless Services Revenue: $942 million |
| Income from operations: $208 million |
| Wireless Data Revenue: N/A |
| Net Subscriber Adds: 223,000 |
| Total Subscribers: 7.9 million |
| Churn: 3.8 percent |
| Prepaid ARPU: $39.69 |
| T-Mobile: |
|---|
| Wireless Revenue: $4.71 billion |
| Wireless Net Income: $320 million |
| Wireless Data Revenue: $1.26 billion |
| Net Prepaid Subscriber Adds: 197,000 |
| Net Postpaid Subscriber Loss: 60,000 |
| Total Subscribers: 33.8 million |
| Churn: Postpaid 2.4 percent, Prepaid 7.2 percent |
| Postpaid ARPU: $52 |
| Sprint: |
|---|
| Wireless Retail Services Revenue: $6.4 billion |
| Wireless Operating Loss: $448 million |
| Wireless Data Revenue: N/A |
| Net Prepaid Subscriber Adds: 471,000 |
| Net Postpaid Subscriber Loss: 107,000 |
| Net Wholesale Subscriber Adds: 280,000 |
| Total Subscribers: 48.1 million |
| Churn: Postpaid 1.93 percent, Prepaid 5.32 percent |
| ARPU: Postpaid $55, prepaid $28 |
| Verizon: |
|---|
| Wireless Services Revenue: $14.2 billion |
| Wireless Operating Income: $4.85 billion |
| Wireless Data Revenue: $5.1 billion |
| Net Prepaid Subscriber Loss: 137,000 |
| Net Postpaid Subscriber Adds: 584,000 |
| Net Reseller Subscriber Adds: 550,000 |
| Total Subscribers: 93.2 million |
| Churn: Postpaid 1.07 percent |
| ARPU: Postpaid retail $53.66 |
| AT&T: |
|---|
| Wireless Services Revenue: $13.4 billion |
| Wireless Operating Income: $3.5 billion |
| Wireless Data Revenue: $4.8 billion |
| Net Prepaid Subscriber Adds: 321,000 |
| Net Postpaid Subscriber Adds: 745,000 |
| Net Reseller Subscriber Adds: 406,000 |
| Net Connected Device Adds: 1.2 million |
| Total Subscribers: 92.8 million |
| Churn: Postpad 1.14 percent Blended 1.32 percent |
| ARPU: Postpaid $62.84 |
Related GigaOM Pro Content (sub req’d):
[...] final tally for the third quarter of 2010 is in – and the news, if that will really be a surprise is that the demand for wireless data is on an [...]
[...] paid off as Verizon continues to hold the top spot for mobile subscribers in the U.S., although AT&T is nipping on its heels. But detailed data showing Verizon’s smartphone sales surfaced this weekend, and if the [...]
What’s your source for these findings?
[...] Rival operator AT&T expects to launch its own LTE service by mid-2011. As of last quarter, Verizon and AT&T combined account for 186 million subscribers, or approximately two-thirds of all cellular subscribers in the U.S. That adds up to a majority of [...]