Sprint Press Release
January 31. 2019
- Wireless service revenue grew year-over-year for the second consecutive quarter, excluding the $199 million impact of the new revenue recognition standard
- Postpaid service revenue grew year-over-year for the first time in five years
- Prepaid service revenue grew year-over-year for the fifth consecutive quarter
- Net loss of $141 million, operating income of $479 million, and adjusted EBITDA* of $3.1 billion
- 12th consecutive quarter of operating income
- Highest fiscal third quarter adjusted EBITDA* in 12 years
- Postpaid net additions of 309,000 grew 53,000 year-over-year
- Sixth consecutive quarter of net additions
- 10th consecutive quarter of net additions in the business market
- Continued progress on Next-Gen Network plans
- Network investments of $1.4 billion more than doubled year-over-year
- Remain on track for mobile 5G launch in the coming months
- Strong progress on digitalization initiatives
- Postpaid gross additions in digital channels increased nearly 70 percent year-over-year
- Approximately 30 percent of all Sprint customer care chats are now performed by virtual agents using artificial intelligence
Sprint Corporation (NYSE: S) today reported fiscal year 2018 third quarter results, including its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in wireless service revenue and its sixth consecutive quarter of postpaid net additions. The company also reported its 12th consecutive quarter of operating income and the highest fiscal third quarter adjusted EBITDA* in 12 years.
“Sprint’s strategy of balancing growth and profitability while we work toward regulatory approval of our T-Mobile merger is reflected in our fiscal third quarter results,” said Sprint CEO Michel Combes. “We delivered solid financials, increased network investments as we prepare for our mobile 5G launch, and continued the digital transformation of the company.”
Continued Growth in Wireless Service Revenue and Reduction in Costs
Sprint reported 309,000 postpaid net additions in the quarter, an improvement of 53,000 year-over-year, as the company continued to offer some of the best unlimited plans in the industry and focused on growing revenue per customer with additional devices and value-added services. This strategy has driven improved wireless service revenue trends in the business, excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard.
- Wireless service revenue grew year-over-year for the second consecutive quarter.
- Postpaid service revenue grew year-over-year for the first time in five years.
- Prepaid service revenue grew year-over-year for the fifth consecutive quarter.
Sprint continued to make progress on its multi-year plan to improve its cost structure. Excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard and merger costs, the company reported approximately $800 million of combined year-over-year gross reductions in cost of services and selling, general and administrative expenses during the first three quarters of fiscal 2018 and approximately $300 million of net reductions year-to-date. For the full fiscal year, the company expects to deliver gross reductions of more than $1 billion for the fifth consecutive year, with net reductions of less than $500 million after reinvestments.
Net loss of $141 million in the quarter compared to net income of $7.2 billion in the year-ago period, as the fiscal year 2017 third quarter results included a $7.1 billion non-cash benefit from tax reform. The company also reported the following results.
| (Millions, except per share data) | Fiscal 3Q18 | Fiscal 3Q17 | Change |
| Net (loss) income | ($141) | $7,162 | ($7,303) |
| Basic (loss) income per share | ($0.03) | $1.79 | ($1.82) |
| Operating income | $479 | $727 | ($248) |
| Adjusted EBITDA* | $3,101 | $2,719 | $382 |
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $2,225 | $2,683 | ($458) |
| Adjusted free cash flow* | ($908) | $397 | ($1,305) |
Network Investments Grow as Mobile 5G Launch Approaches
Sprint’s quarterly network investments, or cash capital expenditures excluding leased devices, of $1.4 billion more than doubled year-over-year and increased approximately $150 million sequentially as the company made continued progress on executing its Next-Gen Network plan.
- Sprint completed thousands of tri-band upgrades and now has 2.5 GHz spectrum deployed on approximately 75 percent of its macro sites.
- Sprint added thousands of new outdoor small cells and currently has 27,000 deployed including both mini macros and strand mounts.
- Sprint has deployed hundreds of Massive MIMO radios, which increase the speed and capacity of the LTE network and, with a software upgrade, will provide mobile 5G service.
Sprint remains on track to launch its mobile 5G network in the coming months in nine of the largest cities in the country: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The company has also announced standards-based 5G devices from LG, HTC, and Samsung that will be available soon.
Building a Digital Disruptor
Sprint is leading the U.S. telecommunications industry in leveraging digital capabilities by focusing on three main areas.
- Increasing digital revenue through improvement in gross adds and upgrades through digital channels.
- Providing intelligent customer experience by leveraging artificial intelligence, analytics, and automation.
- Improving digital engagement with the company’s in-house digital marketing agency and enhanced app functions.
The company made strong progress on its digital transformation in the quarter.
- Postpaid gross additions in digital channels increased nearly 70 percent year-over-year.
- About one of every six postpaid upgrades occurred in a digital channel.
- Approximately 30 percent of all Sprint customer care chats are now performed by virtual agents using artificial intelligence.
- Introduced Apple Business Chat, allowing customers to chat directly with Sprint 24/7 by sending a message through the Messages app on an iPhone and iPad.
Fiscal Year 2018 Outlook
- The company continues to expect adjusted EBITDA* of $12.4 billion to $12.7 billion.
- Excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard, the company continues to expect adjusted EBITDA* of $11.7 billion to $12.0 billion.
- The company continues to expect cash capital expenditures excluding leased devices to be $5.0 billion to $5.5 billion.