AT&T Already Has One Million eReaders On Its Network, Without The iPad

Mobile data devices are a boon for AT&T. The company reported strong earnings this morning, seeing a 26 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit. AT&T sold 3.1 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, with the device being called out as one of the key drivers of the success for the telecommunications company. Quarterly earnings increased to $3.01 billion from $2.40 billion from the previous year, matching Wall Street expectation. Revenue from wireless services was strong, rising 9.2 percent with the addition of 2.7 million net subscribers during the fourth quarter. But another area of growth for AT&T is in wireless eReaders connected to its 3G data network. Currently, the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader Daily Edition and the Barnes & Noble Nook are all using AT&T for data connectivity. During the fourth quarter, the number of these devices on AT&T's wireless network increased by more than 1 million in the fourth quarter, which was the strongest quarter in this category to date. And as we learned yesterday, AT&T will also provide internet connectivity for Apple's new iPad.