Does quality really trump quantity for Verizon?

Verizon had long ago turned its attention on the wireline front from basic voice customers – which again fell 9.5% in the first quarter of 2010 – to more ARPU-generating FiOS broadband and video customers. Could the same dynamic be playing out on the wireless side of its business too?

In its first-quarter earnings call today, Verizon reported 1.6 million net new customers, but only 432,000 of those on the postpaid front, showing a continued slow-down in subscriber growth.

Like its rivals such as AT&T, Verizon is focused on gaining more revenue per user via new devices, including the Motorola Droid, and mobile services, such as Skype Mobile. However, unlike AT&T, Verizon hasn’t had the iPhone to give it a boost on this front, despite ongoing rumors it has been negotiating to land Apple’s device on its network.

As evidence of its strategy, VZW said mobile data revenue was up 26.4%, to $4.5 billion. On the device front, it said 30% of its postpaid retail customers had 3G devices, including 17% with smartphones. Verizon also stressed relatively low churn on the wireless side, with total churn totaling just 1.46%.

Beyond wireless, Verizon said it added 185,000 new FiOS Internet subscribers and 168,000 video subs; it ended the quarter with a total of 3.6 million total FiOS Internet subs and 3 million FiOS TV customers.

Overall, Verizon Wireless grew total revenue to $15.8 billion for the quarter, up 4.4% versus the previous year. Across all its businesses, Verizon reported revenues of $26.9 billion, up 1.2% versus a year ago.