Webwire: Unicom lifts 9-mnth profit 30%; Apple disappoints in Q3

China Unicom has reported a 30% increase in profit for the first nine months of the year to 5.45 billion yuan ($873.1 million), on 18.8% higher revenue of 185.9 billion yuan.

Agence France-Presse 

Apple missed analysts' estimates with Q3 profit of $8.2 billion, but beat expectations for revenue with a 24% increase in sales to $35.8 billion. Disappointed investors briefly pushed the company's stock below $600 for the first time in months.

Norway's Telenor is considering acquiring India's Loop Mobile, in order to secure the unified services licenses required to participate in the upcoming 2G spectrum re-auction.

Deal Curry 

Indian state-owned operator BSNL is seeking approval to lease out its CDMA network, and hive off its telecom towers into a separate company that will lease access to the sites, as it pursues initiatives aimed at restoring profitability.

Economic Times 

 

Pakistan Telecom expects to swing back to a profit in the fourth quarter, as a result of reduced labor costs due to an early retirement program.

An Iranian business partner of Huawei offered to sell a local operator US antenna equipment in violation of US sanctions, documents purportedly show. The parties involve insist the aborted contract was an error.

Reuters 

US incumbent AT&T recorded a slim 150,000 net wireless subscriber additions for the third quarter – its worst performance since a quarter during 2003 – blaming iPhone 5 supply constraints.

Examiner 

Microsoft held the global debut of its Surface tablets in China, in a bid to unseat Apple in the market – Apple typically launches its products in China months after the US and other markets.

Bloomberg