DENVER-Embattled telecommunications provider Qwest Communications International Inc. reported $152 million in wireless operating revenue during the first quarter of 2003, which was a 19.1-percent drop compared with the $188 million the company reported for the first quarter of 2002.
Contributing to the drop in operating revenue was a reported 11.3-percent decrease in total customers on Qwest’s 14-state CDMA network from just more than 1.1 million at the end of the first quarter of 2002 to 988,000 customers at the end of the first quarter of this year.
Qwest also reported average revenue per user fell from $48 during the first three months of 2002 to $43 this year, and total market penetration dropped from 5.15 percent to 4.43 percent during the same time frame.
Qwest announced plans last year to sell its wireless division and earlier this year added it was in talks with several wireless operators about a possible sale or roaming agreement that would allow Qwest to offer a broader coverage area to its business customers.
