Increased Data Revs in Q4 and More that 45.5 Million 3G Devices at Verizon Wireless

By Contributor Wireless and Mobile News on January 27, 2009 11:36 AM

Verizon has announced its 2008 fourth quarter results. Verizon Wireless' revenue increased 12.3% for the fourth quarter because subscribers increased their spending on text messaging and Internet services by 41% compared with the same period a year earlier.

There official release describes Wireless this way:

1.4 million organic (non-acquisition-related) net customer additions, almost all retail; 1.2 million total net customer additions, including a net customer loss under a previously announced exchange agreement related to the 3Q 2008 acquisition of Rural Cellular.
72.1 million total customers; 70.0 million retail customers, up 9.9 percent, not including customers added with the Jan. 9, 2009, acquisition of Alltel.
12.3 percent increase in total revenues; data revenues up 41.4 percent; ARPU growth for 11th consecutive quarter; strong 47.2 percent EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP)

Other Verizon Wireless Facts:

The Alltel acquisition expanded the Verizon Wireless network to cover nearly the entire U.S. population and made Verizon Wireless the nation's largest carrier in terms of total customers.
More than 65 percent of the company's retail customers - 45.5 million - had 3G broadband-capable devices by year-end. The company continued to extend the reach of the nation's largest and most reliable 3G (third generation) network, which now covers more than 274 million people after the Alltel acquisition.
Customers across the country lined up to purchase the new BlackBerry Storm, available exclusively in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless and launched in November.
During the quarter, Verizon Wireless customers sent or received more than 90 billion text messages - more than double the number of text messages sent in the same period a year ago. Customers also sent 1.8 billion picture/video messages and completed 50 million music and video downloads during the quarter.