Telecom operator AT&T Capex (capital expenditure) rose 20.8 percent to $5.41 billion in second quarter of 2013 from $4.48 billion in Q2 2012.
Capex of AT&T increased 10.6 percent to $9.66 billion in H1 2013 against $8.74 billion in H1 2012.
AT&T has invested significantly in 4G in the first half. The company says LTE / 4G network is expected to cover nearly 270 million POPs in 400 markets by year-end.
LTE network build is expected to be substantially complete by summer 2014. AT&T’s investment strategies are paying off. 35 percent of AT&T’s postpaid smartphone base is LTE capable.
AT&T loses ground to Verizon
AT&T’s revenues rose 1.6 percent to $32.1 billion in Q2.
The marginal growth in revenue was driven by smartphone data usage per device that rose 50 percent year over year.
The telecoms added more than 2 million new wireless and wireline high speed broadband connections during the period.
AT&T on Tuesday said 35 percent of its postpaid smartphone base is LTE capable.
Wireless revenues rose 5.7 percent, while service revenues increased 4.1 percent.
Wireless data revenues up 19.8 percent versus the year-earlier period.
Wireless operating income margin was 27.1 percent; wireless EBITDA service margin was 42.4 percent.
It sold 6.8 million smartphones in second-quarter.
AT&T added 1.2 million new smartphone subscribers, while smartphones contribute 88 percent of postpaid phone sales.
Total postpaid ARPU rose 1.8 percent, while phone-only ARPU increased 3 percent.
U-verse contributes more than 50 percent of wireline consumer revenues.
Wireline broadband data ARPU rose 9 percent.