Telecommunications giant AT&T (NYSE:T, news, filings) reported its Q4 numbers this morning. Overall, revenues of $32.5B were measurably higher than analyst expected ($31.95B according to Yahoo Finance) on a big quarter for smartphones. But as usual, when you sell to many of those subsidized smartphones, your profit takes a hit – and thus their adjusted EPS of $0.42 was perhaps a penny off the mark. They’d be partying harder though, if they had fared better on the M&A front in Q4.
The key strategic questions right now are about AT&T’s next move now that its attempt to buy T-MobileUSA has failed. But for today that gets pushed a bit more to the background as operationally things seem to be going rather well. The company says that 2012 has kicked off with great visibility, which is rarely a bad thing. The wireless division added a net of 717K postpaid customers, as well a net of 159K on the prepaid side. In all, they now boast 103.2M subscribers across all types.
On the wireline front, things were less bright of course but still not bad. Business revenues grew sequentially again to $9.3B and consumer revenues were up to $5.3B, as growth in newer ‘strategic’ data products compensated for the churning off of the older stuff while voice continues to suffer.
Various speculations have been circulating about AT&T’s next move, many of which have focused on the intriguing possibility of buying DISH at a hefty premium. Hmmm, actually I doubt we see make any immediate moves, but i guess you never know.
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Categories: Financials · ILECs, PTTs · Wireless
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Since the speculation is now about another purchase, can one conclude that T “needs” to make a purchase to keep moving in the right direction. What if they spent the same amount of money actually improving and expanding the existing network?
I think the perceived need for a purchase comes down to spectrum. They need more for LTE, so the question is where it’s going to come from.
would it be a fair criticism of current or previous Sr. Management that they do not possess the necessary spectrum?
As a shareholder, who do I see about that?
I’ll even concede 20-20 hindsight is always clearer but I don’t hear the same problem at VZ (or is it?). Did someone just miss the amount required or not recognize the need at all?
Thanks in advance.