Sprint Nextel's (NYSE:S) comeback may finally be here.
The carrier is expected to report its second straight quarter of positive net subscriber additions Wednesday, according to analysts surveyed by the AP. According to the consensus, Sprint will add around 250,000 total wireless subscribers in the quarter, more than double the 111,000 it had in the second quarter. Additionally, the carrier is expected to report revenue that is roughly flat from the year-ago quarter, which would be another significant boost.
Despite the positives, Sprint is expected to still lose around 37,000 postpaid subscribers, according to the AP estimates. However, that would be the carrier's smallest postpaid loss in three years.
The nation's No. 3 carrier has pointed to its consistent improvements in customer service as well as the introduction of its mobile WiMAX service, which runs on Clearwire's (NASDAQ:CLWR) network, as key elements of its turnaround. During the past three years, Sprint subscribers have exited the company in record numbers.
Sprint's upswing comes at a fortuitous time; the carrier is in the midst of making a final decision on a vendor for a major network overhaul that will include the introduction of a new, multi-mode base station and the shutdown of 20,000 cell sites in its footprint.
For more:
- see this AP article
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