Sprint Nextel, the third-ranking U.S. wireless carrier, sold 2.2 million iPhones during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 30, 2012, up from just 1.5 million units in the third quarter. The holiday rush contributed to net additions of 401,000 its postpaid subscriber- base. But Sprint just recorded just $9 billion in revenue (a slight increase from last year's), reported an operating loss of $758 million, widened its fourth quarter net loss to $1.32 billion (from $757 million in the third quarter), and had a negative earnings per share of $0.44 (failing to match analyst's expectation of $0.37 negative EPS). The company lost 337,000 net customers due to more than 1 million customers defecting the Nextel service. The carrier though only rolled out in July its 4G LTE Network, which is now covering 58 markets. Sprint's 4G LTE network is crucial as AT&T and Verizon’s high-speed networks are already developed and operational on a nationwide scale.
What Else You Need To Know
- While Sprint sold 2.2 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, Verizon sold 6.2 million iPhones over roughly the same period, while AT&T sold 8.6 million.
- The iPhone 5, which was launched in September, helped Sprint sell 4 million 4G LTE smartphones during the quarter.
- Sprint said that the loss of $45 million or negative $.01 per share (pre-tax) was related to impacts from Hurricane Sandy.
Other sources
In comparison to its US rivals, Sprint’s sales are some way off, but are improving.- Matt Brian, The Next Web
The problem, however, is that while Sprint is adding subscribers on its Sprint-branded end, it’s rapidly losing them on the Nextel side. A total of 1.02 million Nextel customers jumped ship last quarter, resulting in a net loss of 337,000 subscribers.- Ricardo Milton, Venture Beat
- Dialed In
- Sprint Q4 loss widens to $1.32B as Nextel customers flee
- Dialed In
- Sprint Q4 loss widens as Nextel customers flee
- Mobile Crunch
- Sprint Q4 2012 Matches, Down $.44/Share On Revenues Of $9B, Reports 2.2M iPhones Sold
- Other
- Sprint sells 2.2 million iPhones, loses $1.32 billion in Q4 2012
- The Next Web
- Sprint sees “best ever” iPhone sales in Q4, shifts 2.2 million units; LTE handset sales pass 4 million
- Engadget
- Sprint reports Q4 2012 financials: 2.2 million iPhones sold, but net loss of $1.3 billion
- BGR
- Sprint loss widens to $1.32 billion in Q4, subscriber growth slows despite climbing iPhone sales
- Apple Insider
- Sprint sold best-ever 2.2M iPhones in holiday quarter, 38% to new customers
- PhoneDog
- Sprint reports over 6.1 million smartphones sold in Q4 2012, including 2.2 million iPhones
- Phandroid
- Sprint now has 3 million LTE subscribers, revenues rise to $9 billion
- More...