Verizon Banks On Google Android, 4G Network To Catch AT&T

Verizon reported good news on the sales front Monday, but the telecommunications giant has some work to do to catch archrival AT&T and its ever-popular Apple iPhone in the customer acquisition sweepstakes.

Third-quarter revenue for Verizon rose to $27.7 billion, a 10.2 percent increase compared with the third quarter of 2008, although Verizon's profits fell 9 percent to $2.89 billion year-over-year. Verizon also added Little Rock, Ark.-based carrier Alltell to its stable in January of this year. Alltell had $2.5 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2008.

The Verizon Wireless unit added 1.2 million new customers in the third quarter. Verizon plans to attract even more in the fourth quarter with product rollouts centered around two new Google Android devices and the Oct. 28 launch of the $180 Blackberry Storm2 by Research In Motion.

Verizon's ambitious plans for the fourth quarter also include the rollout of 12 additional handsets, as well as the deployment of its 4G/LTE network with contiguous 700MHz spectrum.

Despite its robust customer acquisition numbers, Verizon, Basking Ridge, N.J., still has a ways to go to approach AT&T's clip.

AT&T added 2 million new customers in its most recent fiscal quarter, numbers buoyed by AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple to sell the Apple iPhone in the U.S.

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