Alltel sees huge data growth, too

Alltel announced its second quarter earnings this week, and first, the bad news: despite a 10 percent improvement in revenue year over year, the number five carrier actually lost $69.9 million, thanks largely to increases in interest costs on its debt and write offs associated with the absorption of an affiliate last year. Now, onto the good news: like most of its competitors, Alltel saw huge gains in data revenue over the same period — some 45 percent, to be exact, or $8.18 out of the $54.42 ARPU they're currently posting. They've also added close to 320,000 net subscribers in the quarter, so all things considered, we've got to believe Verizon's still happy with its investment — assuming it ends up going through, of course.