Things are looking up for MetroPCS as it continues to roll out its LTE network. The operator, which was the first US network to launch LTE, has announced record first quarter results of US$285m, an increase of approximately 28 per cent over first quarter of 2010. This is thanks to a record number of new subscribers in the quarter. The news sent its shares up by 6.4 per cent to US$17.54 on pre-market trading, doubling the figure from a year ago.

The company added 725,945 new customers, a quarterly record for the period and taking its total to 8.9 million subscribers. MetroPCS data showed that its ARPU for Q1 for its Wireless for All And 4G LTE plans were US$40.42, a slight increase over the previous quarter and the first time it had gone above US$40 since the end of 2009.

“The Internet is going mobile and we believe our subscribers’ demand for multimedia and video will continue to increase, specifically within the Android platform,” said Roger D. Linquist, chief executive officer of MetroPCS in a statement. “4G LTE is rapidly becoming the world standard and we now offer 4G LTE in all of our major metropolitan areas and we continue to expect to finish the majority of our planned build out by the end of 2011.”

The positive quarter reflects the operator’s continued focus on its customers, Informa research analyst Kristin Paulin told Telecoms.com. “[MetroPCS] launched LTE to improve the customer’s experience.  They paid attention to what their customers wanted: Android smartphones and a true data experience on their devices. The first quarter results show that by doing so, Metro PCS reaps the benefits as well.”