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iPhone 3G sales are moving at nearly twice the pace of last year’s introduction of the original iPhone, AT&T reported July 23. In nearly two weeks since Apple and AT&T-the U.S. carrier for the iPhone-rolled out the latest model, units sold have hit 712,000.
“In the days following our exclusive U.S. launch of this new device, powered by the nation’s fastest [third-generation] wireless network, customer response has been everything we had anticipated and more,” said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson in a statement. “This strengthens our wireless business, and it reinforces our positive view of the opportunities ahead for AT&T and the industry.”
Those sales, though, won’t be officially counted for AT&T until the third quarter. For the second quarter, the nation’s largest telecom carrier reported growth in both its net income and revenue, driven primarily by increased mobile sales. AT&T said its mobile revenue jumped 15.8 percent from a year ago to $12 billion in the second quarter.
The company also reported that wireless revenues were up 52 percent, to $2.5 billion, from a year ago, while text messaging volumes on AT&T’s network tripled from the second quarter of 2007.
In a continuing trend, AT&T also reported wire-line revenues slumped 8.3 percent from last year to $9.5 billion.
“AT&T is all about deploying and enhancing premier networks and products to deliver this world to both business and consumers,” Stephenson said. “The Apple iPhone 3G is a dramatic example of this transformation.”
AT&T’s consolidated revenues totaled $30.9 billion, up 4.7 percent from a year ago, and up 3.6 percent compared with second-quarter 2007 pro forma revenues, which exclude merger-related accounting impacts on directory revenues.
Compared with results for the year-earlier quarter, AT&T’s reported operating expenses for the second quarter of 2008 were $24.3 billion, down from $24.5 billion; operating income was $6.6 billion, up from $4.9 billion; and operating income margin was 21.3 percent, up from 16.8 percent.
“As we generate sound financial results, AT&T also has taken the lead to innovate and create great solutions for customers,” Stephenson said. “Mobility, broadband connectivity and integrated services that encompass voice, data and video are driving a new world of communications.”