Powertel Loss Wider Than Expected

Earnings Scorecard
Actual	Estimated*	Year-Ago
-$2.14	-$1.89.	-$2.43

Powertel (PTEL Quote - Cramer on PTEL - Stock Picks), a digital wireless telephone company, posted a wider-than-expected loss in its fourth quarter, despite higher revenue and 104,000 new PCS subscribers.

The West Point, Ga., firm, which plans to be acquired by Germany's Deutsche Telecom(DT Quote - Cramer on DT - Stock Picks), said fourth-quarter losses were $67.2 million, or $2.14 a share, compared with $72.4 million, or $2.43 a share, a year ago. Nine analysts surveyed by First Call/Thomson Financial expected a loss of $1.89 a share for the quarter.

The company reported revenue of $130.7 million, up from $84.7 million for the same period last year. PCS service revenue increased to $122.7 million in the fourth quarter compared with $75.8 million in the fourth quarter of 1999.

Shares of the company closed lower by 94 cents, or 1.15%, at $81.56, in Wednesday trading on the Nasdaq.