Sprint Press Release
May 7, 2019
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ —
- Fiscal year 2018 wireless service revenue stabilized year-over-year, excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard
- Fiscal fourth quarter wireless service revenue grew 1 percent year-over-year
- Fiscal year 2018 net loss of $1.9 billion and operating income of $398 million both include a preliminary non-cash charge of $2 billion; Adjusted EBITDA* of $12.8 billion
- Fiscal fourth quarter net loss of $2.2 billion, operating loss of $1.7 billion, and adjusted EBITDA* of $3.1 billion
- Fiscal year 2018 postpaid net additions of 710,000 improved by 286,000 year-over-year
- Data device net additions of 872,000 were partially offset by phone net losses of 162,000
- Fiscal fourth quarter postpaid net additions of 169,000 driven by data device net additions of 358,000 and phone net losses of 189,000
- Continued progress on Next-Gen Network deployment
- Mobile 5G network to launch in select cities in the coming weeks
- Strong momentum on digitalization initiatives
- Postpaid gross additions in digital channels increased approximately 60 percent year-over-year in both the fourth quarter and for the full year
Sprint Corporation (NYSE: S) today reported results for the fiscal year 2018 fourth quarter and full year, including a stabilization of wireless service revenue and continued growth in postpaid net additions. The company reported a net loss of $1.9 billion and operating income of $398 million, both of which included a preliminary non-cash charge of $2 billion, along with adjusted EBITDA* of $12.8 billion in fiscal year 2018.
“Sprint delivered on its plan for fiscal 2018, as we met all of our financial guidance for the year,” said Sprint CEO Michel Combes. “While we’ve made progress, there are certainly continued challenges to address, which will continue to put pressure on our service revenue and retail customer growth.”
Wireless Service Revenue Stabilized and Cost Reduction Targets Achieved
Sprint has focused on growing revenue per customer with additional devices and value-added services. This strategy produced 710,000 postpaid net additions for the year, an improvement of 286,000 year-over-year that was driven by growth in data devices, which offset losses in postpaid phone customers. This growth, along with a slowing decline in postpaid ARPU, contributed to the stabilization of wireless service revenue at $22.5 billion for the year, excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard.
Sprint achieved both its gross and net cost reduction targets in fiscal year 2018. Excluding the impact of the new revenue recognition standard and approximately $350 million of merger-related costs, the company delivered approximately $1.2 billion of combined year-over-year gross reductions in cost of services and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses during fiscal year 2018 and approximately $330 million of net reductions after reinvestments in network and other operational initiatives. While the company continues to look for opportunities to improve operational and cost efficiencies in fiscal 2019, these improvements are expected to be fully offset by incremental costs associated with network and customer experience initiatives.
Net loss of $1.9 billion for the year compared to net income of $7.4 billion in the prior year, as fiscal year 2018 included a preliminary non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $2 billion and fiscal year 2017 results included a $7.1 billion non-cash benefit from tax reform.
The new revenue recognition standard had a positive impact on reported net income of $146 million and $678 million in the fiscal year 2018 fourth quarter and full year, respectively. The new standard also had a positive impact on reported operating income and adjusted EBITDA* of $185 million and $858 million in the fiscal year 2018 fourth quarter and full year, respectively.