SAN FRANCISCO-AirTouch Communications Inc. reported net income for 1998 totaled $608
million, or $1.07 per share, compared with income of $394 million, or 78 cents per share, for 1997. Net income for the
fourth-quarter totaled $130 million, or 22 cents per share, compared with income of $97 million, or 19 cents per share,
for the fourth quarter of 1997.
Revenues for the fourth quarter totaled $1.45 billion, up 54.5 percent from revenues
of $941 million during the previous fourth quarter. Revenues for the year were $5.2 billion, a 44-percent increase from
revenues of $3.6 billion during 1997.
The company added 4.3 million proportionate subscribers, including 2.6
million outside the United States. About 1.5 million of those customers were added during the fourth quarter. The
company said its total proportionate subscriber base is now 17.6 million customers.
The company attributed its
strong results to its international operations, which had 83 percent more subscriber additions, 43 percent higher
revenues and 65 percent greater operating cash flow for the year, compared with the previous year.
In the United
States, the company had more than 1 million digital cellular customers, accounting for more than 40 percent of peak
minutes. PrimeCo Personal Communications L.P.’s revenues jumped 190 percent and subscribers increased 129
percent. The company’s paging operations had double-digit growth in revenues and cash flow, said the company.
