EDINBURG, Va.-Rural telecommunications provider and Sprint Nextel Corp. wireless affiliate Shenandoah Telecommunications Co. reported a 17 percent increase in wireless revenues from $21 million during the third quarter of 2004 to $24.6 million this year. Despite the increase, the impact of wireless revenues on Shentel’s total revenues dropped from 67.7 percent during the third quarter of 2004 to 66 percent this year.
Shentel also reported that wireless net income jumped more than 53 percent from $1.3 million last year to $2 million this year, and accounted for 63.3 percent of the company’s $3.158 million in total net income for the third quarter.
Direct wireless customer growth during the third quarter increased from 3,578 net subscriber additions during the third quarter of 2004 to 4,370 customers this year, with Shentel ending the quarter with 116,460 total direct customers on its network. The carrier attributed some of the increase to a drop in customer churn from 2.2 percent last year to 2.1 percent this year.
Shentel also reported that net customer additions through its wireless wholesale operations dropped from 1,533 during the third quarter of 2004 to 1,115 customers this year, and that it ended the quarter with 33,848 wholesale customers on its network.
