AT&T reported revenues of $31.8 for the first quarter of 2013, up 1.8 percent from last year, with $6.1 billion in operating income — clearly its business is going strong. The company also noted that it returned $4.7 billion to shareholders throughout the quarter through dividends and stock buybacks.
Specifically, AT&T paid shareholders $2.6 billion in dividends and $2.1 billion via stock buybacks. The company says it has purchased 67.7 million out of the 300 million it’s been authorized to buy back.

The carrier sold 5.5 million smartphones during the quarter and added 726,000 new wireless customers (both prepaid and postpaid). AT&T now has 103.9 million wireless customers.

Not surprisingly, wireless revenues also grew significantly over the quarter, up 20 percent from last year (or more than $1 billion). Revenues for AT&T’s home television and Internet service U-Verse also grew 38.2 percent since last year, putting cord-cutting concerns to rest. AT&T noted that its wireline growth (home internet service) was the highest ever for the past nine quarters.

Overall, AT&T is certainly in a better position than it was last quarter, when it posted a $3.9 billion loss due to Superstorm Sandy and benefit plan expenses. With no major product or service announcements, the first quarter was unsurprisingly steady for AT&T, but you can certainly expect things to heat up over the next few quarters with the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and increased anticipation for the next iPhone.