CenturyTel profit up, Cincinnati Bell down

Monroe, La.-based telco CenturyTel reported a 10.7 percent increase in profit for the first quarter on a boost in operating revenue. The carrier also added about 30,000 broadband Internet subscribers during the quarter, and saw landlines decline about 5.8 percent. The company maintained a positive outlook for the rest of 2008.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati Bell, another regional independent telco and one that crossed paths with CenturyTel recently when it acquired that company's Dayton, Ohio operations, reported a 49 percent dip in profit for the first quarter, compared to the same quarter a year ago. Despite 11 percent growth in revenue during the quarter, Cincinnati Bell took a $24 million charge related to a retirement offer that was part of a February agreement with the Communications Workers of America union. The telco also spent about $22 million on data center construction during the quarter.

For more:
- see this release [1] from CenturyTel
- read this Cinci Bell story [2] at the Business Courier of Cincinnati

Related articles:
CenturyTel touts its plan for its 700 Mhz spectrum licenses CenturyTel report [3]
Cincinnati Bell acquired CenturyTel's Dayton operations Cincinnati Bell report [4]