AT&T Announces 3.6 Million iPhones Activated in Q1 2011, Resists Verizon Surge

093727 att logo 150

AT&T today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2011, offering a glimpse at the performance of a significant partner of Apple's for the iPhone and the first data on the carrier's sales since it lost exclusivity in the United States with the launch of the CDMA iPhone on Verizon.

According to the press release, AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones during the quarter, up nearly a million from the year-ago quarter. The figure has, however, historically included both sales of new devices and re-activations of previously-sold devices either handed down or resold by their owners, making it impossible to correlate the figure directly with Apple's own sales performance.

AT&T reports that 23% of iPhone subscribers were new to AT&T, a figure that has steadily declined over the past year or so as the carrier has increasingly already attracted many of the customers most interested in the device.

Perhaps the most notable piece of data is AT&T's claim that the churn rate for iPhone subscribers was unchanged over the year-ago quarter, indicating that significant numbers of AT&T iPhone customers are not fleeing to Verizon as many observers had expected.

On a broader scale, AT&T reported record smartphone sales of 5.5 million and 10.2% revenue growth in its wireless division. The company's subscriber base also grew by 2 million to reach 97.5 million.

Apple will release its own earnings for the quarter after the markets close later today.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

Doctor Q Avatar
173 months ago
A more plausible explanation is that the I'm-leaving-ATT-as-soon-as-Verizon-gets-the-iPhone blowhards were hardly representative of the market.
I thought all the other blowhards were just like me. :cool:

Here in Los Angeles, I had good reception from Verizon before Apple released the first iPhone. I switched to AT&T to get the iPhone and had poor reception. I switched back to Verizon the first day they had the iPhone and I get good reception again. Family plan with all three contracts. Never had any other significant problems with either company, although I'm disappointed that competition didn't lower prices more.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bassfingers Avatar
173 months ago
AT&T's talk and surf thing is so pointless

You can talk and surf on verizon if you're on wifi, and when are you ever not on wifi?

Also, when are you ever able to hold a call on AT&T long enough to surf in the first place?

I drop at least 30% of my calls, if not more than that. An iPhone on AT&T is pretty much a fat iPod Touch that costs 80 bucks a month
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bassfingers Avatar
173 months ago
-1 for AT&T when my contract ends.

Nail in the coffin when dropped call research showed that AT&T really does suck
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dacapo Avatar
173 months ago
I wonder how many AT&T users are waiting for the iPhone 5 to come out before making the switch. There is a widespread perception that it will be released in June, and many could be waiting for the refresh before switching.

Count me in with this option. I'm switching to Verizon as soon as iPhone 5 comes out, whenever that is. Unless AT&T offers me an upgrade discount that matches the Verizon new customer price.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
URFloorMatt Avatar
173 months ago
Hmmm... let's see here:

1. AT&T has cheaper monthly pricing.
2. AT&T has rollover voice minutes.
3. The AT&T iPhone works if you are traveling outside of the United States, whereas the Verizon phone does not. The Verizon phone only works in the U.S.
4. The AT&T iPhone lets you use the Internet while you're on phone calls; the Verizon one does not.
5. The AT&T iPhone has significantly & noticeably faster Internet speeds than Verizon.
6. AT&T will give you a free miniature cell tower for your home or office, if you don't get good signal strength in your house.

Yeah, I think I'll stay with AT&T.

1) False, as far as I'm aware.
2) True, but Verizon has Friends and Family, which AT&T does not.
3) False. An AT&T phone generally works if you are traveling in Europe and the Verizon phone does not. A Verizon phone generally works if you are traveling in Asia and an AT&T phone does not. It depends on where you're going. Neither phone has an inherent advantage globally.
4) True, for another few months anyway.
5) Debatable to false, especially when you factor in that AT&T's 3G coverage is so much smaller.
6) Never heard of that before. Interesting though.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TurnerMan Avatar
173 months ago
Hmmm... let's see here:

1. AT&T has cheaper monthly pricing.
2. AT&T has rollover voice minutes.
3. The AT&T iPhone works if you are traveling outside of the United States, whereas the Verizon phone does not. The Verizon phone only works in the U.S.
4. The AT&T iPhone lets you use the Internet while you're on phone calls; the Verizon one does not.
5. The AT&T iPhone has significantly & noticeably faster Internet speeds than Verizon.
6. AT&T will give you a free miniature cell tower for your home or office, if you don't get good signal strength in your house.

Yeah, I think I'll stay with AT&T.

(The real shame is that the iPhone isn't with T-Mobile... now THAT'S a company with excellent customer service.)
Verizon allows you to make reliable phone calls on a phone. GG? If I didn't give a crap about phone calls I would have bought an iPod Touch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)