AT&T Wireless meets subscriber-addition estimates

AT&T Wireless yesterday delivered subscriber results that were a relief to Wall Street as investors continue to fear a general slowdown in the wireless industry.

The company added 927,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter, meeting the low end of its own estimates. Still, the company’s stock ended Tuesday down 10 cents at $11.65.

“We are concerned about stock prices--our stock price, in particular--and the market’s unwillingness to accept our consistent growth track record or the growth that lies ahead of us,” John Zeglis, chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Wireless, told analysts. “We wait confidently, and somewhat impatiently, for the day the stock market appreciates [our] full value.”

Service revenues from the mobility segment increased 23.1% to $3.24 billion in the fourth quarter compared with $2.63 billion for the year-ago quarter. EBITDA in the mobility unit reached $666 million, an increase of 74.9% from the fourth quarter 2000.