Verizon full year 2016 revenues with 4,3% decline

Total consolidated operating revenues in fourth-quarter 2016 were $32.3 billion, a 5.6 percent decrease compared with fourth-quarter 2015. Full-year 2016 revenues were nearly $126.0 billion, a 4.3 percent decline.

During 2016, Verizon invested in its networks with $17.1 billion in capital expenditures, completed wireline divestitures of three markets, negotiated new labor contracts, executed successful technical trials of 5G wireless service and expanded its new growth businesses.

In these new markets the digital media business, led by AOL, generated $532 million in revenues net of traffic acquisition costs (non-GAAP) in fourth-quarter 2016. This declined about 5 percent year-over-year due to a revenue lift in fourth-quarter 2015 related to AOL’s Microsoft deal, but increased around 10 percent compared with third-quarter 2016.

IoT (Internet of Things) revenues, led by telematics, increased 21 percent on a comparable basis to fourth-quarter 2015, to $243 million. Verizon expects to sustain this trend in strong IoT revenue growth. Including acquisitions, IoT revenues increased more than 60 percent in fourth-quarter 2016.

Verizon Wireless highlights; 

• Verizon reported 591,000 retail postpaid net additions in fourth-quarter 2016. These net additions exclude wholesale device and wholesale IoT connections. At year-end 2016, Verizon had 114.2 million retail connections, a 1.9 percent year-over-year increase. Verizon’s industry-leading retail postpaid connections base grew 2.1 percent to 108.8 million, and retail prepaid connections totaled 5.4 million. Full-year postpaid net additions of 2.3 million included 1.8 million 4G smartphones and 1.4 million 4G tablets, offset primarily by declines in basic phones and 3G smartphones.

• Total revenues were $23.4 billion in fourth-quarter 2016, a decline of 1.5 percent compared with fourth-quarter 2015, as more customers continued to choose unsubsidized device payment plans. For the full year, revenues totaled $89.2 billion, a decline of 2.7 percent. Service revenues plus device payment plan billings increased 1.7 percent in fourth-quarter 2016, compared with fourth-quarter 2015.

• The 591,000 retail postpaid net additions in fourth-quarter 2016 included 552,000 4G LTE smartphones. With declines in basic and 3G phones, net phone additions were 167,000 in fourth-quarter 2016, compared to a net decrease of 36,000 in third-quarter 2016. Tablet net additions totaled 196,000 in fourth-quarter 2016.

• In fourth-quarter 2016, overall traffic on LTE increased by approximately 49 percent compared with fourth-quarter 2015, while Verizon extended its lead in the industry’s third-party network performance studies across the country.

Wireline highlights:

• Total wireline revenues decreased 3.1 percent, to $7.8 billion, comparing fourth-quarter 2016 with fourth-quarter 2015. Retail consumer revenues grew 0.2 percent, to $3.2 billion, supported by consumer Fios revenue growth.

• Total Fios revenues grew 4.4 percent, to $2.9 billion, comparing fourth-quarter 2016 with fourth-quarter 2015. Full-year Fios revenues were $11.2 billion in 2016, a 4.6 percent increase compared with 2015.

• In fourth-quarter 2016, Verizon added a net of 68,000 Fios Internet connections and 21,000 Fios Video connections. Customer demand for Custom TV continues to remain strong. At year-end, Verizon had 5.7 million Fios Internet connections and 4.7 million Fios Video connections.