The loss came on a 4% jump in revenues compared to the year-ago period, to $8.3 billion. The modest rise was buoyed by news that may signal better times for the company: a $2 increase in the post-paid average revenue per unit (ARPU), from $55 to $57. That was Sprint's largest year-over-year growth in seven years.
Sprint also played up the fact that its overall subscriber base was up 1 million for the quarter, to 52 million. However, the company lost 101,000 customers along with their lucrative monthly contracts. Some 114,000 left the previous quarter. Sprint and T-Mobile are the only two U.S. wireless carriers not offering Apple’s iPhone, and T-Mobile is in the process of being bought by AT&T.
However, at least one major analyst believes Sprint and T-Mobile will get access to the iPhone 5 when it launches this fall.