AT&T's Quarter Could Be a Recession-Beater

Investors will be closely monitoring

AT&T's

(T)

first-quarter results Wednesday for evidence that the telecom giant has dodged the worst of the economic downturn.

The Dallas, Texas-based firm, which is a key

indicator

for the

health

of the telecom sector, has promised low-single digit revenue growth through 2009.

Earlier this year, AT&T's fourth-quarter revenue came in broadly in line with analysts' estimate, but the company took an earnings hit. Investors will be looking to see how the firm continues to

exploit

its exclusive deal to sell

Apple's

(AAPL)

iPhones

in the U.S.

There is even a

rumor

that AT&T and its arch-rival

Verizon

(VZ)

will announce better first-quarter numbers than Wall Street is expecting.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect AT&T to report first-quarter revenue of $31 billion and earnings of 48 cents a share, although these numbers could come in higher thanks to solid wireless performance and strong video growth.

The company's CEO, Randall Stephenson, recently told the

Wall Street Journal

that AT&T plans to invest heavily in wireless, with two-thirds of the company's capital outlays in the next five years going to wireless-network investments and acquisitions.

"It's no surprise that AT&T is trying hard to get investors to focus on wireless rather than wireline," wrote Craig Moffett, senior analyst at Bernstein Research, in a note released Monday. AT&T's exclusive iPhone deal should help sustain the company's wireless momentum, he added, but warned that wireline continues to weigh heavily on the firm.

AT&T is expected to announce wireless net additions that are good but not great, according to Moffett, but access line losses in its wireline telecom business of around 12.7%.

Moffett thinks that AT&T could post earnings of 49 cents a share, but warns that the firm's enterprise business could be a bigger factor in its first-quarter results than wireless.

"Enterprise is a black box," he wrote. "No-one knows just how cyclical the cyclical enterprise segment will turn out to be."

AT&T's shares have fallen more than 11% this year, highlighting the uncertainty that has clouded the economy. Undeterred, the company, which competes with

Sprint Nextel

(S)

,

Verizon

(VZ)

and

Qwest Communications

undefined

, continues to shift its focus from wireline to wireless.

The telecom giant, for example, is said to be in talks with Apple to

extend

its iPhone deal until 2011.