n the fourth quarter 2009, Verizon’s revenues reached $27.1 billion, up 0.2% compared to a year earlier (without Alltel) and full-year 2009 revenues totaled $107.8 billion, an increase of 10.7 percent from 2008 on a reported basis and 1.5 percent on a pro forma basis. Verizon recorded a loss of 23 cents in diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with EPS of 43 cents per share in the fourth quarter 2008. Contributing to the loss was a special item of $3.0 billion in pre-tax costs related to workforce reductions. On an adjusted basis (non-GAAP), fourth-quarter 2009 EPS was 54 cents, compared with 61 cents in the fourth quarter 2008.
In the fourth quarter, Verizon continued streamlining its wireline operations. During 2009, Verizon reduced its workforce by 13,000, including 5,000 who left the payroll in Q4. Verizon expects to reduce its headcount by a similar amount in 2010, including a planned cut of 10,000 employees in its wireline division.
“In last year’s turbulent economy, we took significant steps to strengthen Verizon going forward,” said Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg. “We focused on expanding wireless data and set the stage to deploy a nationwide 4G network later this year. We also expanded the scale of FiOS and our global IP network. We saw growth in all these areas in 2009, and we expect continued growth in 2010 and beyond, with a goal of delivering long-term shareowner value.”
2010 capital spending is targeted in the range of $16.8 billion to $17.2 billion.
Some highlights:
Wireless
- Wireless data revenues of $16.0 billion for the full year were up 31 percent over 2008 on a pro forma basis. In the fourth quarter, data revenues were 31.9 percent of all service revenues, up from 26.5 percent in the fourth quarter 2008 on a pro forma basis.
- Verizon Wireless added 1.2 million retail net customers in the quarter (almost all postpaid) and 4.6 million retail net customers in the full year, both excluding acquisitions and adjustments.
- Verizon Wireless had 87.5 million retail customers at the end of the fourth quarter, an increase of 25.0 percent year over year and 5.7 percent on a pro forma basis. The company also added 1.0 million reseller customers in the fourth quarter, bringing its total number of customers at the end of the quarter to 91.2 million, an increase of 26.6 percent year over year and 7.0 percent on a pro forma basis.
- Retail postpaid churn and total retail churn were 1.06 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. Total churn was 1.42 percent.
- Retail service revenues in the quarter totaled $13.2 billion, up 22.5 percent year over year and 5.2 percent on a pro forma basis. Service revenues in the fourth quarter were $13.5 billion, up 22.5 percent and 5.0 percent on a pro forma basis. Total revenues were $15.7 billion, up 22.5 percent year over year and 3.1 percent on a pro forma basis. Full-year revenues were $62.1 billion, up 25.9 percent and 6.1 percent on a pro forma basis.
- Retail service ARPU decreased 2.2 percent year over year and 0.6 percent on a pro forma basis to $50.75. Retail data ARPU increased to $16.24, up 16.1 percent year over year and 20.5 percent on a pro forma basis.
Wireline
- As of the end of 2009, the FiOS network passed 15.4 million premises, or approximately 48 percent of total households in areas currently covered by Verizon’s wireline network.
- Verizon added 153,000 net new FiOS Internet customers. The company served 3.4 million FiOS Internet customers by the end of the quarter, a 38.4 percent year-over-year increase.
- FiOS Internet penetration (customers as a percentage of potential customers) was 28.1 percent by the end of the fourth quarter, with the product available for sale to 12.2 million premises. This compares with a 24.9 percent penetration and 10.0 million premises open for sale at the end of the fourth quarter 2008.
- Verizon also added 153,000 net new FiOS TV customers and served 2.9 million FiOS TV customers by the end of the quarter, a 49.2 percent year-over-year increase.
- FiOS TV penetration was 24.5 percent by the end of the fourth quarter, with the product available for sale to 11.7 million premises. This compares with a 20.8 percent penetration and 9.2 million premises open for sale at the end of the fourth quarter 2008.
- Total broadband and video revenues were $1.7 billion, a 25.5 percent increase compared with the fourth quarter 2008. This contributed to an overall 1.2 percent revenue growth in consumer markets served by Verizon’s wireline network.
- Revenue growth from broadband and video services boosted consumer ARPU to $77.06 in the fourth quarter 2009, a 12.6 percent year-over-year increase. FiOS ARPU is more than $140, driven primarily by triple-play bundles of voice, Internet and TV services.
- Triple-play customers increased from 1.6 million in fourth-quarter 2008 to 2.4 million in fourth-quarter 2009, a 47 percent increase.
- Worldwide sales of strategic business services – such as IP, managed services, Ethernet and security solutions – generated $1.6 billion in revenue in the quarter, up 6.0 percent compared with the fourth quarter 2008. Revenue from IP data services alone increased 8.6 percent year over year.
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