AT&T has recently revealed its financial performance for the first quarter of 2025, and the news is quite promising, particularly in terms of postpaid subscribers. The telecommunications provider exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for wireless subscriber growth, largely due to strong demand for its bundled packages that pair high-speed fiber internet with 5G mobile services. During this period, AT&T gained 324,000 net monthly bill-paying wireless phone subscribers, significantly surpassing FactSet’s estimate of 258,300. In contrast, Verizon experienced a downturn, reporting a loss of 289,000 postpaid phone customers.
This trend followed a spike in customer churn rates observed in January, prompting AT&T to enhance its promotions for the latest iPhones. The company accepted trade-ins irrespective of their condition, a strategy that appears to have paid off. Pascal Desroches, AT&T’s Chief Financial Officer, mentioned that device upgrades have exceeded expectations since April when new tariffs were announced. If the current trend persists, it could lead to increased customer demand earlier than usual, a change from the typical second-half surge aligned with new iPhone releases.
Despite the upbeat news and a positive outlook, AT&T’s stock showed minimal movement during morning trading, even after total revenue for the quarter rose by 2% to $30.6 billion, slightly higher than the analysts’ expected $30.35 billion. Notably, over 40% of AT&T’s fiber customers are also subscribed to its wireless plans, indicating strong customer integration. Additionally, AT&T launched the AT&T Guarantee in January, which promises bill credits during network disruptions. If a fiber outage exceeds 20 minutes or a wireless outage lasts more than an hour, customers receive compensation.
This initiative is aimed at enhancing customer loyalty, particularly in an environment where outages are becoming more common. Overall, AT&T’s strategic moves indicate a strong commitment to strengthening its customer base in an evolving telecom landscape.