Sprint narrows loss in Q4, adds postpaid subscribers

Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) posted fourth quarter revenues of  $8.3 billion, up 6 percent year-over-year, as the company added 1.1 million total subscribers including 58,000 postpaid users--its first contract customer growth since the second quarter of 2007. Sprint now serves 49.9 million subscribers, including 33.1 million postpaid customers. The operator's losses narrowed to $929 million from $980 million in Q4 2009.

Sprint reported retail wireless service revenues of $6.5 billion in the fourth quarter, increasing almost 4 percent year-over-year and over 1 percent sequentially. Although roughly 10 percent of postpaid customers upgraded their handsets during Q4, wireless postpaid ARPU remained flat year-over-year and sequentially at approximately $55. According to Sprint, higher monthly recurring revenues resulting from fixed-rate bundle plans and premium data add-on charges offset lower overage, casual data and text revenues.

Sprint did not release specific metrics related to mobile data ARPU and data usage. During Q4, the operator introduced Sprint ID, enabling Android smartphone users to download curated application packages connected by a brand, subject or theme--Sprint ID partners include ESPN, HSN, MTV and BodyMedia.

For more:
- read this release
- also check out FierceWireless' comprehensive Q4 2010 earnings coverage

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