Sept. 11 Didn't Bring Wireless Surge After All

File the story about wireless-phone subscriber surge after Sept. 11 with the other urban legends.

As Americans listened to accounts of stricken New Yorkers and Washingtonians calling home on their mobile phones, financial pundits grabbed hold of a potential mini-boom in handset sales. Whatever rush there was on mobile coverage proved to be brief and scattered enough that it didn't add up to a gangbuster third quarter for the wireless sector. Carriers turned in the performance the Street had been expecting since July forecasts were made.

Sprint PCS (PCS Quote) was the first mobile carrier to report, and it scored whopping customer additions of 1.2 million, compared with estimates in the 800,000 range. That encouraging finish was followed by AT&T Wireless' (AWE Quote) Street-meeting 748,000 new faces and so-so results for Verizon Wireless (VZ Quote), which turned in 752,000 subscribers. ...