SBC Communications Inc. today said it posted record broadband growth in the first quarter, adding 446,000 DSL lines.
SBC, the second largest broadband provider behind Comcast Corp., said it marked its ninth consecutive quarter of sequential growth, bringing total DSL lines to nearly 4 million.
The company reported a first-quarter profit of $1.9 billion on $10.1 billion in consolidated revenue. That compared to a profit in the quarter a year earlier of $2.5 billion on $10.4 billion in revenue. That profit included a 32 cents-per share gain on the sale of its stake in Cegetel.
In the first quarter, SBC added 2.6 million long-distance lines, bringing total lines to 17 million. The regional Bells used to be prohibited from offering long-distance service.
San Antonio, Texas-based SBC said it lost 305,000 retail access lines for the three months ending March 31, compared to 748,000 in the quarter a year ago.
Cingular Wireless, the joint venture between SBC and BellSouth Corp., added 554,000 customers in the first quarter, bringing the total to 24.6 million. In February, Cingular announced an agreement to acquire AT&T Wireless.
