Wireless in the fourth quarter of 2016
How did the wireless industry perform in the final quarter of 2016? Check here throughout the fourth-quarter earnings report season for full earnings reports from the wireless industry's biggest public carriers, handset makers, equipment suppliers and others.
And don't forget to check out our wrap-up pages for the fourth quarter of 2015, and the first, second and third quarters of 2016.
Finally, make sure to check out FierceTelecom's look at the fourth quarter season for the wired telco providers, and FierceCable for a look at the cable industry in the fourth quarter.
Dec. 20, 2016
BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY)
BackBerry posted adjusted earnings of 1 cent per share in its latest quarter, significantly beating analysts’ estimates of a loss of $.02 per share. Other results were mixed for the onetime king of the mobile enterprise, but BlackBerry also upgraded its outlook for its full fiscal year from a loss of $.05 per share to breakeven.
- see this Business Insider article
- see this release (PDF)
Jan. 24
Verizon (NYSE: VZ)
Shares of Verizon slid more than 4 percent after the carrier fell short of projections for quarterly postpaid net adds and saw its wireless service revenue shrink 4.9 percent year over year. Verizon unexpectedly said it doesn't expect revenue from wireless service to return to growth this year, raising concerns among analysts.
- see this article
- check the earnings materials
Samsung
Turns out the Galaxy Note 7 debacle may not have been as costly as some feared. The South Korean electronics giant saw profits soar 50 percent in the fourth quarter thanks primarily to sales of chips, display panels and other components. Samsung warned that its current quarter may not be as rosy, however, as marketing expenses in its mobile division ramp up.
- see this CNBC story
- read Samsung's earnings release (PDF)
Jan. 25
AT&T (NYSE: T)
The nation's No. 2 carrier largely met analysts' expectations in the second quarter: It lost 67,000 postpaid phone users, far better than the 220,000 defections expected by Wells Fargo Securities, and earnings per share and total wireless revenue were both inline. Questions about AT&T's wireless business remain, but the stable quarter was seen as generally good news for an operator in the midst of a huge transition.
- see this report
- check AT&T's press release
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM)
Qualcomm announced a healthy fourth quarter despite some dark clouds hovering over the chipmaker. Quarterly revenue increased 6.2 percent, and revenue would have seen a 21 percent gain if not for the $868 million charge levied against the company in December by the South Korean government. Qualcomm still faces potentially damaging lawsuits from both Apple and the FTC, however.
- read this article
- see Qualcomm's press release
Jan. 26
Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC)
The bad news continued for Ericsson, which reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $181 million as sales were down 10% for the full year 2016. But the company’s stock stock jumped as much as 7% as its fourth-quarter revenue actually came in higher than analysts had predicted, Bloomberg reported, noting that in his first major decision, new CEO Börje Ekholm slashed the dividend for the first time in eight years, giving him a cash cushion as he tries to reverse the negative sales.
- read this report
- check Ericsson's press release
Alphabet/Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)
Alphabet's gross revenue was up 22 percent year over year, but earnings per share came in roughly 30 cents below analysts' estimates, and shares fell 2 percent on the news. But Google's "other" revenue -- which includes the Pixel and other hardware offerings -- came in at $3.4 billion, marking a 62 percent year-over-year increase.
- see Recode's article
- read Alphabet's press release
Jan. 31
Sprint (NYSE: S)
Shares of Sprint jumped after the carrier reported 368,000 postpaid phone net additions in the fourth quarter, marking its ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year postpaid growth. But analysts' reactions to Sprint's results were mixed as the company bled 501,000 prepaid customers and once again revised its capex for the fiscal year downward, raising concerns about future performance of its network.
- read this article
- see Sprint's press release
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Apple shipped 78.3 million iPhones in the fourth quarter to rocket past Samsung and reemerge as the world's largest smartphone vendor. The average selling price of the iPhone rose from $619 in the September quarter to $695 in the December quarter, and services revenue came in at $7.2 billion, marking a jump of 18 percent year over year.
- check this report
- see Apple's press release
Feb. 1
Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)
Increased consumption of Facebook videos and Instagram helped send the company's revenues up 51 percent to $8.81 billion in the fourth quarter. Executives warned that Facebook will stop delivering so many ads in its news feed, though, in a move that will likely see ad revenue growth to drop "meaningfully" in the coming months.
- read this Wall Street Journal report
- see Facebook's quarterly earnings materials
Feb. 2
Nokia (NYSE:NOK)
Shares of Nokia jumped more than 6 percent after the company beat analysts' estimates by reporting $682 million in net profit during the quarter. Operating margin of 14.1 percent beat estimates of 11.7 percent, and the company said the worldwide market for telecom gear had begun to stabilize after a brutal 2016.
- check this article
- see Nokia's press release
Feb. 3
América Móvil (TracFone)
América Movíl posted a net fourth-quarter loss of roughly $290 million despite increased sales. The telecom saw revenue rise 17% during the quarter due to an increase in service revenue, but financial costs nearly tripled amid a weakening Mexican peso compared to the U.S. dollar and Latin American currencies. América Movíl reported 1.3 million postpaid net additions, marking a 5.3 year-over-year gain, but its prepaid base shrunk 3.7% as 4.7 million customers defected.
- read this story
- see the earnings release
Feb. 14
T-Mobile (Nasdaq: TMUS)
The nation’s third-largest mobile network operator posted 2.1 million total net customer additions in the fourth quarter, marking its 15th straight quarter of more than 1 million total net customer adds and bringing its total user base to 71.5 million. Service revenues came in at $7.2 billion, up 11% year over year but just shy of Wells Fargo Securities’ estimates of $7.28 billion, and net income of $390 million for the quarter was up 23% year over year.
- see this article
- read T-Mobile's press release
Feb. 22
Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH)
Shares of Dish inched upward this morning after the company unexpectedly posted subscriber net adds during the fourth quarter, but analysts remain concerned about the company’s long-term prospects in the pay-TV business. The company’s real value lies in its spectrum, analysts generally agree, but it is hamstrung by the FCC’s anti-collusion rules during the ongoing incentive auction of 600 MHz spectrum.
- read this Reuters report
- see Dish's press release
Feb. 24
U.S. Cellular (NYSE:USM)
Shares of U.S. Cellular dropped after the carrier posted disappointing fourth-quarter results, reporting a loss of $6 million on revenue of $991 million. The company didn’t release subscriber figures for the quarter in its earnings announcement, but President Ken Meyers said growth slowed during the quarter.
- check this story
- read U.S. Cellular's earnings release