Verizon: Strong 4th Quarter

Observers watching intently for some sign of how the recession is affecting communications services have a major new data point. Verizon Communications has reported what happened in its fourth quarter, and revenue growth accelerated.  There is lots more data required, but so far, the recession has not had a negative effect on Verizon. 

In fact, Verizon Communications continued to grow sales of broadband, wireless and strategic business services in the fourth quarter 2008. Verizon's total operating revenues grew 3.4 percent in the fourth quarter 2008, increasing to $24.6 billion from $23.8 billion in the fourth quarter 2007.  

After adjusting for the spinoff of non-strategic local exchange and related wireline business assets early in 2008, this represents an increase of 4.6 percent. 

Wireless organic growth totaled 1.4 million net customer additions. Verizon Wireless also continued to have low churn of 1.35 percent churn among all customers, and 1.05 percent among the company's retail post-paid customers. 

Average monthly revenue per customer increased for the 11th consecutive quarter.  Total service ARPU of $51.72 was up 1.4 percent year over year, reflecting strong growth in total data ARPU, which was up 27.9 percent over the same period. 

Verizon added 303,000 net new FiOS TV customers, compared with 226,000 in the fourth quarter 2007. 

FiOS TV sales penetration (sales as a percentage of potential customers) increased to 20.8 percent, compared with 16.0 percent in the fourth quarter 2007. FiOS TV service was available for sale to 9.2 million premises by year-end 2008.  This represented a 57 percent increase in the availability of FiOS TV - and, by extension, of "triple play" bundles of FiOS TV, Internet and voice services - since year-end 2007. 

Verizon added 282,000 net new FiOS Internet customers, compared with 244,000 in the fourth quarter 2007.

FiOS Internet sales penetration increased to 24.9 percent, compared with 20.7 percent in the fourth quarter 2007. FiOS Internet was available for sale to nearly 10 million premises by year-end 2008. 

Broadband and video revenues from consumer customers totaled nearly $1.2 billion in the fourth quarter 2008, representing year-over-year quarterly growth of 42.0 percent. 

Growing revenue from broadband and video services drove consumer ARPU in legacy Verizon wireline markets (which excludes consumer markets served by the former MCI) to $68.46 for the fourth quarter 2008, a 14.3 percent increase compared with the fourth quarter 2007. 

Verizon Telecom, which serves domestic consumer and small-business customers, and Verizon Business, which serves large-business and government customers worldwide, each had 2.3 percent year-over-year quarterly revenue declines, continuing the secular trend of voice line loss  This was the smallest decrease in 12 quarters, however. 

Total broadband connections were 8.7 million, a net increase of 214,000 over the third quarter 2008.  This includes a decrease of 68,000 DSL-based Verizon High Speed Internet connections, which was more than offset by the increase in FiOS Internet customers.  The 8.7 million is an increase of 8.2 percent year over year. 

Broadband and TV products now account for more than 31 percent of consumer ARPU in legacy markets, compared with 22.7 percent in the fourth quarter 2007.  The ARPU among FiOS customers continues to grow and is more than $133 per month. 

Wireline data revenues, which represented 43.6 percent of total wireline revenues, were $5.2 billion in the fourth quarter 2008, an increase of 10.9 percent compared with the fourth quarter 2007.  

That might one of the more-important developments. Where its wireless business had been anchored by voice, Verizon now has grown data to nearly 44 percent of total.