Cingular Wireless is finally beginning to see some improvements in net subscriber adds. After losing subscribers for the past two quarters, the company added 189,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2003, bringing its total subscriber base to 22.1 million.

Similar to Verizon Wireless and Sprint PCS, Cingular also saw its churn improve. Customer churn in the first quarter was 2.6 percent, down from 2.9 percent in the first quarter of 2002. Average revenue per user was $47 per month in first quarter, which was flat year over year but down slightly from a fourth-quarter ARPU of $48 per month. Total minutes of use per customer increased to 405 total MOU, up from 355 total MOU in first quarter 2002.

On the revenue front, the company reported an increase in wireless revenue of 1.3 percent from $3.59 billion in the quarter, up from $3.54 billion a year ago.

The company also reported that its GSM/GPRS network will cover 90 percent of potential customers and all of its major markets by year-end, with the total overlay expected to be completed in 2004.