AT&T today announced its third-quarter financials, demonstrating earnings that met analyst forecasts and exceed expectations in regards to wireless subscriptions, but also declared that as of October 18, the company had activated over 1 million iPhone 4S handsets – almost certainly making it Apple’s biggest partner for sales of the handset since it launched on October 14.
The iPhone 4S’ one million sales contributed AT&T’s most successful launch in the company’s history, a device that launched on October 14 but went on preorder in several regions around the world on October 7 as well as Sprint and Verizon in the U.S
Apple had previously announced one million preorders in the first 24 hours, later declaring that it had amassed over 4 million sales in the first three days of sales.
AT&T sold 4.8 million smartphones in its third-quarter, totalling 2.7 million iPhone activations in that period – a decline from 3.6 million in its third quarter. However, the introduction of Verizon as an iPhone partner in the U.S will have affected the carriers activation numbers.
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The company is still hoping to close its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telecom, which has been delayed and by regulatory interference. It is thought the merger will not be approved by the end of the first-quarter of 2012, despite AT&T’s plans to do so.
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