Postpaid subscriber growth reflects the dramatic success of iPhone 3G, which was launched in July 2008. AT&T’s fourth-quarter iPhone 3G activations totaled 1.9 million, approximately 40 percent to customers who were new to AT&T, and the company’s total iPhone activations over the last half of 2008 topped 4.3 million. AT&T’s iPhone exclusive continues to deliver high-value subscribers with ARPU approximately 1.6 times higher and churn rates significantly lower than the company’s overall postpaid subscriber base.
For the fourth quarter, AT&T’s revenues totaled $31.1 billion, net income was $2.4 billion and cash from operating activities totaled $10.9 billion. Full-year revenues totaled $124.0 billion, net income was $12.9 billion and cash from operating activities totaled $33.7 billion.
“Despite the economic environment, we grew revenues in 2008, and I expect 2009 will be another year of overall revenue growth and solid progress for our company,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and chief executive officer, in the press release.
“During the past year, we took major steps to improve AT&T’s position for 2009 and beyond. The success of our iPhone 3G launch has driven wireless growth and helped redefine the wireless data space. Our AT&T U-verse TV service continues to ramp. We completed the world’s largest deployment of the fastest Internet backbone technology across our U.S. network. We further expanded our industry-leading network capabilities and product sets for the business market.
“I am pleased to say that as we made these advances, we also delivered on our cost initiatives and returned substantial value to shareowners, including our 25th consecutive annual dividend increase, which was announced in December.
“Looking ahead, while we are cautious about the economic environment, AT&T is well positioned with a strong balance sheet and premier operational assets, and I am very confident in our ability to execute.”
Fourth-Quarter Reported Results
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, AT&T’s consolidated revenues totaled $31.1 billion, up 2.4 percent versus reported results in the year-earlier quarter and up 2.2 percent compared with fourth-quarter 2007 pro forma revenues, which exclude merger-related accounting impacts on directory revenues.
Consolidated revenue growth was driven by 13.2 percent wireless growth and a 14.2 percent increase in wireline IP data revenues, which include AT&T U-verse services and business offerings such as VPNs and managed Internet services. Gains in these areas more than offset pressures from the macro-environment, including impacts on access lines and wireline voice usage.
Compared with results for the year-earlier quarter, AT&T’s reported operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2008 were $26.2 billion versus $24.9 billion; reported operating income was $4.9 billion versus $5.5 billion; and AT&T’s reported operating income margin was 15.8 percent, compared with 18.1 percent.
AT&T’s reported fourth-quarter 2008 net income totaled $2.4 billion versus $3.1 billion in the year-earlier quarter, and reported earnings per diluted share totaled $0.41, compared with $0.51 in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Fourth-Quarter Adjusted Results
AT&T’s adjusted results for the fourth quarter of 2008 exclude noncash merger-related expenses, a charge for investment losses from a merger-related trust and a previously announced charge for severance costs related to workforce reductions. For the fourth quarter of 2007, adjusted results excluded merger integration costs, merger-related amortization expenses and a merger-related directory accounting effect.
Compared with results for the year-earlier quarter, AT&T’s adjusted operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2008 totaled $24.5 billion versus $23.1 billion; adjusted operating income was $6.6 billion, compared with $7.3 billion; and AT&T’s adjusted operating income margin was 21.1 percent versus 24.0 percent. AT&T’s adjusted fourth-quarter 2008 net income totaled $3.8 billion versus $4.3 billion in the year-earlier quarter, and adjusted earnings per diluted share totaled $0.64, compared with $0.71 in the fourth quarter of 2007.
AT&T’s fourth-quarter 2008 reported and adjusted margins and earnings reflect continued revenue growth and progress with previously outlined cost initiatives, offset by hurricane-related expenses and effects on wireless results from iPhone 3G. Impacts from the company’s iPhone 3G initiative reduced pretax fourth-quarter earnings by approximately $450 million or $0.05 per share, and costs related to hurricanes reduced pretax earnings by approximately $120 million or $0.01 per share. In addition, foreign exchange impacts lowered equity income by approximately $90 million or $0.01 per share.
Cash From Operations
AT&T’s cash from operating activities for the fourth quarter of 2008 totaled $10.9 billion, capital expenditures totaled $5.5 billion and free cash flow (cash from operations minus capital expenditures) totaled $5.4 billion. For the full year 2008, cash from operating activities totaled $33.7 billion, capital expenditures totaled $20.3 billion and free cash flow totaled $13.3 billion. For the full year, dividends paid totaled $9.5 billion, shares repurchased totaled 164.2 million for $6.1 billion and AT&T ended the year with 5.9 billion shares outstanding.
Wireless Operational Highlights
AT&T’s fourth-quarter wireless growth was powered by strong subscriber gains and continued rapid growth in advanced data services, which drove solid improvement in postpaid ARPU. Highlights include the following:
• 2.1 million Net Gain in Wireless Subscribers. AT&T posted a fourth-quarter net gain in wireless subscribers of 2.1 million to reach 77.0 million in service, up 7.0 million over the past year. Retail postpaid net adds topped 1.3 million, up 13.9 percent versus results in the year-earlier quarter. Total monthly subscriber churn in the fourth quarter was 1.6 percent, down from 1.7 percent for both the preceding quarter and the year-earlier fourth quarter. Postpaid churn was 1.2 percent, flat versus results for the preceding quarter and the fourth quarter of 2007.
• 1.9 million Apple iPhone 3G Activations. Postpaid subscriber growth reflects the dramatic success of iPhone 3G, which was launched in July 2008. AT&T’s fourth-quarter iPhone 3G activations totaled 1.9 million, approximately 40 percent to customers who were new to AT&T, and the company’s total iPhone activations over the last half of 2008 topped 4.3 million. AT&T’s iPhone exclusive continues to deliver high-value subscribers with ARPU approximately 1.6 times higher and churn rates significantly lower than the company’s overall postpaid subscriber base.
• Leadership in Integrated Devices. The iPhone and other integrated devices are key to AT&T’s success in winning high-value subscribers. During the fourth quarter, nearly 60 percent of the company’s postpaid net adds came from customers choosing an integrated device, and 24.9 percent of AT&T’s postpaid wireless subscribers now have an integrated device, up from 13.0 percent one year earlier.
• 51.2 percent Wireless Data Revenue Growth. Powered by AT&T’s premier wireless data network and its attractive device lineup, AT&T’s wireless data revenues grew 51.2 percent versus the year-earlier fourth quarter to $3.1 billion. Wireless text messages on the AT&T network were nearly 80 billion in the fourth quarter, more than double the total for the year-earlier fourth quarter. Internet access revenues and multimedia message volumes also continued their robust growth. This marked AT&T’s 12th consecutive quarter with wireless data revenue growth above 50 percent. Data represented 26.6 percent of AT&T’s fourth-quarter wireless service revenues, up from 19.9 percent in the year-earlier quarter.
• Retail Postpaid Subscriber ARPU Up 3.9 percent. Powered by strong growth in data services and broad adoption of integrated devices including the iPhone, AT&T continues to expand its industry-leading postpaid wireless subscriber ARPU. For the fourth quarter, total postpaid ARPU was $59.59, up 3.9 percent versus the year-earlier quarter. Postpaid data ARPU was $16.30, up $4.29 or 35.7 percent versus the fourth quarter of 2007, and up $1.60 or 10.9 percent sequentially. Total wireless subscriber ARPU was up 1.1 percent versus the fourth quarter of 2007.
• 13.2 percent Total Wireless Revenue Growth. Driven by subscriber gains and data growth, AT&T’s total wireless revenues increased 13.2 percent to $12.9 billion, and wireless service revenues, which exclude handset and accessory sales, grew 13.3 percent to $11.5 billion. For the full year 2008, total wireless revenues were $49.3 billion, up $6.7 billion or 15.6 percent versus 2007 results.
• Sequential Wireless Margin Expansion. On a reported basis, fourth-quarter wireless operating expenses totaled $10.2 billion, operating income was $2.7 billion and AT&T’s wireless operating income margin was 20.9 percent versus 17.0 percent in the year-earlier fourth quarter. On an adjusted basis, fourth-quarter wireless operating expenses totaled $9.7 billion, operating income was $3.2 billion and AT&T’s wireless operating income margin was 24.6 percent versus 25.7 percent in the year-earlier fourth quarter.
Consistent with previously outlined expectations, the successful ramp of AT&T’s iPhone 3G initiative helped drive a substantial sequential improvement in AT&T’s wireless OIBDA margins. AT&T’s fourth-quarter reported wireless OIBDA service margin was 35.8 percent, up from 33.5 percent in the third quarter of 2008 and 35.3 percent in the year-earlier quarter. In addition to operational improvements, year-over-year margin comparisons reflect approximately $450 million of pressure in the fourth quarter of 2008 associated with iPhone 3G and approximately $30 million of expenses due to hurricanes. Without the iPhone 3G and hurricane impacts, AT&T’s fourth-quarter 2008 wireless OIBDA service margin would have been approximately 41 percent. (OIBDA service margin is operating income before depreciation and amortization, divided by total service revenues.)
In 2009, despite a challenging environment, AT&T expects to deliver solid results. AT&T expects to grow consolidated revenues, make significant progress in its key growth initiatives, keep an aggressive focus on cost management and continue its strong record of returning substantial value to shareowners. Specific expectations for the full year, based on 2008 reported results, include the following:
• Continued consolidated revenue growth in the low single-digit range, led by gains in wireless and IP data services.
• A significant increase in wireless margins as the iPhone 3G customer base matures, with continued revenue growth. AT&T expects to achieve wireless service OIBDA margins in the low 40 percent range by the end of 2009, with a longer-term expectation of reaching the mid 40 percent range.
• Stable reported consolidated earnings and margins excluding pension and retiree benefit costs. AT&T expects approximately $0.19 of incremental noncash pressure to 2009 reported earnings per share due to increased expenses related to pension and retiree benefits. This reflects 2008 plan returns and AT&T’s consistent accounting approach that accelerates recognition of the effects of large changes in plan asset valuations. AT&T does not anticipate significant pension funding requirements in 2009.
• Stable free cash flow while executing a disciplined capital program that focuses investment in key growth initiatives. Total capital expenditures for 2009 are expected to be down 10 to 15 percent versus 2008 levels. AT&T expects to make continued good progress on its U-verse network build in 2009. Deployment currently reaches 17 million living units, and the company expects to reach its previously announced target of 30 million living units in 2011, a year later than its original plan.
More info about AT&T’s results (including wireline results) can be found in the company’s press release here.