SMS wrote:

> Yes, I could add the profit and the margins, quarter after quarter.
>
> However it really doesn't tell you about sacrificing profits for market
> share. AT&T and Cingular had low margins at the height of the TDMA to
> GSM conversion because of the high expenses of the network conversion,
> compared to Verizon which has enjoyed very high margins. Now Cingular's
> margins are increasing because the network conversion is complete.

Following up on my own post, I saw a report on the non-voice revenue for
the various carriers, which drives home the point about why the Cingular
ARPU is lagging.

Verizon has an ARPU of $50.59, with non-voice revenue representing $7.16
of the total.

Cingular has an ARPU of $49.76, with non-voice revenue representing
$6.32 per user.

If Cingular raises it's non-voice revenue to the same level as Verizon,
they would have an ARPU of $50.60, one cent more than Verizon. Cingular
has been slow to roll out their high speed data network, which is why
they lag Verizon in non-voice revenue, but that will change in the next
six months to one year.