4th Qtr & Finals - Part 1

GTE Corporation 27 January 2000 Media Contact: Nancy Bavec, 972-507-6913 (After 6:30 p.m. CST 800-483-4726) e-mail: nancy.bavec@hq.gte.com PART 1 GTE's Fourth Quarter Contributes to a Strong 1999 Performance; Company Ends Year with EPS Growth of 14 Percent IRVING, Texas -- GTE Corporation reported strong financial results for 1999 with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.49, a 14 percent increase over the prior year, on net income of $3.4 billion, excluding gains on the sales of properties and other special items. Including these gains and special items, reported EPS for 1999 was $4.12 on net income of $4 billion, compared to 1998 reported EPS of $2.24 on net income of $2.2 billion. Revenue of $25.3 billion for the year grew 9 percent from 1998 adjusted revenue of $23.3 billion. Fourth quarter adjusted EPS was 98 cents, excluding a 5 cent net after-tax gain, primarily from the sale of GTE Information Systems. Including this net gain, fourth quarter reported EPS was $1.03. Revenue grew 13 percent in the fourth quarter to $6.7 billion from adjusted revenue of $6 billion in the fourth quarter of 1998. GTE's purchase of wireless properties from Ameritech increased revenue by $186 million and reduced EPS by 2 cents per share in the fourth quarter. Excluding these new properties, fourth quarter revenue growth would have been 9 percent and EPS growth would have been 14 percent. The EPS dilution of 2 cents was caused principally by the non-cash amortization of goodwill associated with this purchase. 'Over the last few years, we have been transforming our company into a full-service telecommunications provider. Our focus has been on capturing high-growth opportunities, particularly in the Internet and data businesses, and in 1999 we made great strides in advancing this strategy, ' said Charles R. Lee, Chairman and CEO of GTE. 'Our newer growth businesses, which include data and our CLEC, increased revenue by 42 percent, with sales of data products and services reaching a record $2.5 billion. We began to aggressively market DSL services, supported by a competitively priced offer. And we completed our private high-speed fiber network, which will give GTE an edge in today's competitive marketplace. 'At the same time, we enter the 21st century with strong core businesses that performed very well in 1999 and provide a solid foundation for future growth. During the year, we expanded our wireless footprint with the acquisition of Ameritech's Chicago and St. Louis wireless properties and substantially increased our domestic customer base. We also successfully reached agreements to reposition non-strategic assets and will achieve in excess of $4 billion in after-tax proceeds once all the transactions are completed. 'Also during 1999, we continued to strengthen our international presence. We repositioned our investment in Canada, acquired a 40 percent ownership interest in the Puerto Rico Telephone Company, and won a PCS license and began construction of the PCS network for Buenos Aires, becoming a national provider of wireless services in Argentina. We also increased our minority ownership position in our wireless operation in Taiwan, which now has more than 3 million customers. 'At the same time, we continue to make progress in completing our merger with Bell Atlantic. All but two states and the FCC have given their approval and Bell Atlantic has won permission from the FCC to provide long distance services in New York State. We are optimistic that we can close our transaction in the near future,' said Mr. Lee. Consolidated Results In 1999, consolidated revenue of $25.3 billion increased $2 billion, or 9 percent, over adjusted revenue of $23.3 billion in 1998. Major contributors to this revenue growth include: - Domestic access line growth of more than 10 percent and access minutes of use growth of 8 percent; - Network Services data revenue growth of $268 million, or 28 percent, including special access data lines, ISDN and DSL; - Consumer vertical services revenue growth of 14 percent for the year and 18 percent in the fourth quarter; - Wireless revenue growth of $675 million. When normalized for the newly acquired wireless properties and change in the manner of reporting in-collect revenue, growth accelerated 11 percent in the fourth quarter and was 7 percent for the year; - Internetworking data revenue growth of $457 million, or 79 percent; - International consolidated revenue growth of $302 million, or 20 percent, with additional investments fueling proportionate revenue growth of $897 million, or 31 percent; - CLEC bundled offering revenue growth of $141 million, or 157 percent; - Long-distance revenue growth of $217 million, or 36 percent; - Continued customer growth, including: Total as of Increase Percent 12/31/99 over Increase last 12 months Global access 29,310,000 11 % lines* 2,883,000 Global 9,015,000 3,281,000 57 % wireless customers* Long distance 3,433,000 26 % 707,000 CLEC bundles 312,000 226,000 263 % DSL 57,000 57,000 - * Represents domestic totals plus international proportionate access lines and wireless customers. All other statistics U.S. only. In the quarter, consolidated adjusted operating income was $1.7 billion, an increase of $243 million, or 16 percent, over the same quarter last year. For the full year, consolidated adjusted operating income was $6.2 billion, an increase of $756 million, or 14 percent, above 1998. These increases resulted from revenue growth and the favorable effects of continuing cost-cutting initiatives. Operating income includes the losses associated with GTE's continuing investments in its data and CLEC initiatives. National Operations National operations revenue was $6.2 billion for the quarter and $23.6 billion for the year, increasing $668 million and $1.8 billion above the respective periods last year. GTE's national operations generated adjusted operating income of $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of $218 million, or 16 percent, over the same quarter last year. For the entire year, adjusted operating income was $5.6 billion, an increase of $453 million, or 9 percent, from 1998. The major business units delivering these results include: Network Services Network Services revenue in the fourth quarter was $4.1 billion, an increase of $163 million, or 4 percent, from the same quarter last year. Total year revenue of $15.6 billion grew $326 million, or 2 percent, from 1998. These increases were due to growth in access lines, minutes of use, data and vertical services, partially offset by mandated price reductions and intraLATA toll erosion. Over the past 12 months, total access lines grew 10 percent, fueled by business switched access line growth of 7 percent and special access line growth of 36 percent. The strong growth in access lines reflects the underlying economic strength of the company's wireline markets. Minutes of use increased 8 percent both in the quarter and full year compared to the same periods in 1998. For the full year, data revenue of $1.2 billion increased $268 million, or 28 percent, from last year. Data revenue includes special access data lines, frame relay, CyberPOP and DSL. By year-end, the company had obtained 57,000 DSL subscribers through a competitively priced offering and an aggressive marketing campaign. The latest promotion includes a free modem with a monthly charge of $49.95, including Internet access through GTE.net. At year-end, DSL was available from 550 central offices, representing approximately 6 million qualified lines, or approximately 30 percent of the company's total switched access lines. Offsetting the revenue increases were mandated federal and state price reductions of approximately $73 million in the quarter and approximately $307 million in the year. In addition, toll revenue continued to decline due to intraLATA toll competition from long-distance carriers. Within the local market, approximately 400,000 of the company's 26.1 million domestic access lines have been lost to resale. However, over half of these were resold through GTE's CLEC, and the resulting net lines lost by GTE have been less than 1 percent to date. Network Services operating income in the fourth quarter was $1.6 billion, an increase of $377 million over the same quarter last year. For the entire year, adjusted operating income grew $826 million, or 17 percent, to $5.8 billion. These improvements were principally due to continuing cost-cutting initiatives, including the employee reduction program initiated in the first quarter of 1999 and the related favorable settlement of employee retirement obligations. Wireless Products and Services Wireless revenue was $1.1 billion for the quarter and $3.7 billion for the year, including the Oct. 8 acquisition of Ameritech wireless properties in Chicago, St. Louis and Central Illinois. Excluding these new properties and adjusting for a change in the manner of reporting in-collect revenue, growth accelerated to 11 percent in the fourth quarter and was 7 percent for the year. Wireless subscribers now exceed 7.1 million, up from 4.8 million a year ago, for a growth rate of 48 percent, including the newly acquired markets (12 percent before the acquisition). The favorable revenue and customer growth is the result of positive customer response to the GTE CHOICE pricing plans, which provide bundled minute pricing with expanded footprint options. Introduced early in the year, the GTE CHOICE plans have attracted medium and high-value customers and positioned the company as a national competitor in anticipation of the national wireless venture with Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch. Due primarily to these new pricing plans, revenue per user per month averaged $46 during the year. Cash operating expense per customer dropped 10 percent to $26, reflecting productivity and process improvements, including the implementation of a single integrated billing system in the fourth quarter. While revenue growth and cash operating expense show significant improvement, the GTE CHOICE pricing plans have increased roaming costs and total customer acquisition expenses through strong customer additions. As a result, operating cash flow margin decreased to 28 percent in the fourth quarter from 34 percent the same quarter last year and 34 percent for the year compared to 39 percent last year. GTE expects these roaming costs to significantly decline as the company gains a broader national footprint with Bell Atlantic and Vodafone AirTouch and takes advantage of the next generation of CDMA technology that enables providers to switch roaming partners more quickly. Internetworking Internetworking revenue was $301 million in the fourth quarter, an increase of $136 million, or 82 percent, from the same quarter last year. Revenue for the year exceeded $1 billion, increasing $457 million, or 79 percent, from 1998. Revenue from business services, which include Web hosting, virtual private networks and e-business, doubled from the same quarter last year and increased 73 percent for the entire year. Revenue from networking services provided to on-line and Internet service providers increased over 50 percent in both the quarter and year. In December, GTE completed the initial layer of its fiber network which is now operational nationwide. This 17,000 mile, high-speed, high-capacity network spans more than 100 U.S. metropolitan areas and utilizes the latest in SONET ring technologies. This network will serve as the foundation for all data and advanced services provided by GTE business units, including Internet access, virtual private networks and DSL traffic. Internetworking revenue does not include data revenue from other business units, such as traditional data circuits, CyberPOP and DSL sold by Network Services. Combined data revenue from all business units for the fourth quarter was $689 million and $2.5 billion for the year. Although operating losses from Internetworking increased to $157 million in the fourth quarter and $552 million for the year, current year operating cash flow, which excludes depreciation, showed slight improvement from the prior year. GTE continues to invest in additional network capacity, selling and distribution channels, and new service offerings to build the scale and scope required to accelerate additional growth in this business. Other National Operations GTE Communications, which includes long-distance, CLEC and large business accounts, produced revenue in the fourth quarter of $431 million, an increase of $110 million, or 34 percent, from the same quarter last year, with annual revenue growing $450 million, or 42 percent, to $1.5 billion. This revenue growth was driven in part by a 26 percent increase in the number of long-distance customers over the past 12 months, ending the year with 3.4 million customers. In November, GTE launched its CLEC bundled service offering in Texas after receiving regulatory approval. GTE's CLEC, with 312,000 customers at year-end, is the largest residential CLEC in the nation. GTE Directories revenue increased $40 million to $939 million for the year. Contributing to this revenue growth was the success of GTE's Internet directory web site, SuperPages.com, which achieved 82 percent growth in revenue to $26 million, 81 percent growth in customers, and a 96 percent increase in page views compared to 1998. International Operations Net income from International Operations in the fourth quarter was $152 million, an increase of 14 percent from the same quarter last year, while annual adjusted net income increased 25 percent to $551 million. Proportionate revenues grew to $1.1 billion in the quarter, an increase of $289 million, or 37 percent, from the same quarter last year. Despite weak economic growth in Venezuela and Argentina, proportionate revenue for the year was $3.8 billion, an increase of $897 million, or 31 percent. The investment in the Puerto Rico Telephone Company and operations in Latin America and Taiwan contributed to this increase. Proportionate wireless customers more than doubled from last year, due to strong demand for prepaid wireless services in Latin America and rapid growth of the Taiwan wireless market. About GTE With 1999 revenues of more than $25 billion, GTE is a leading telecommunications provider with one of the industry's broadest arrays of products and services. In the United States, GTE provides local service in 28 states and wireless service in 18 states, as well as nationwide long-distance, directory, and internetworking services ranging from dial-up Internet access for residential and small-business consumers to Web-based applications for Fortune 500 companies. Outside the United States, the company serves customers on five continents. Additional information about GTE can be obtained at http://www.gte.com. GTE's community and philanthropic programs target excellence in education, particularly math, science, technology and literacy. GTE also supports job training, delivery of health and human services, and the arts. The company's newest program is GTE Reads, a public charity designed to create public awareness, increase fundraising and support organizations dedicated to improving America's literacy levels. GTE customers can contribute to GTE Reads by checking off a box on their bill. Others can contribute through GTESuperPages.com http://www.superpages.com Note: All references above to earnings per share (EPS) reflect diluted earnings per share. A copy of this release and associated tables can be found on the Internet at www.gte.com Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements. For each of these statements, GTE claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. If future events and actual performance differ materially from GTE's assumptions, actual results could vary significantly from the performance projected in these forward-looking statements. The following important factors could affect future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in this announcement: materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets served by us or by companies in which we have substantial investments; material changes in available technology; the final outcome of federal, state, and local regulatory initiatives and proceedings, including arbitration proceedings, and judicial review of those initiatives and proceedings, pertaining to, among other matters, the terms of interconnection, access charges, universal service, and unbundled network element and resale rates; the extent, timing, success, and overall effects of competition from others in the local telephone and toll service markets; the success of our efforts to expand service capability in the data communication, long-distance and enhanced services segments of the telecommunications marketplace and to provide a bundle of products and services both in and outside of its traditional service territories; the timing of, and regulatory or other conditions associated with, the completion of our merger with Bell Atlantic and our ability to combine operations and obtain revenue enhancements and cost savings following the merger; and the timing of, and regulatory or other conditions associated with, the completion of the wireless joint venture between Bell Atlantic Corporation and Vodafone AirTouch Plc, and the ability of the new wireless enterprise to combine operations and obtain revenue enhancements and cost savings. GTE's Current Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 1999 discusses in greater detail the important factors that could cause its actual results to differ materially. GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Fourth Quarter 1999 ---------------------------------- Reported Adjustments(1) Adjusted ---------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 6,741 $ - $ 6,741 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 2,824 - 2,824 Selling, general & administrative 1,181 - 1,181 Depreciation and amortization 1,011 - 1,011 Special items (90) 90 - ---------------------------------- TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 4,926 90 5,016 ---------------------------------- OPERATING INCOME 1,815 (90) 1,725 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 353 - 353 Other - net (82) - (82) ---------------------------------- INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 1,544 (90) 1,454 Income taxes 537 (44) 493 ---------------------------------- NET INCOME $ 1,007 $ (46) $ 961 ================================== DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ 1.03 $ (.05) $ .98 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 979 - 979 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Fourth Quarter 1998 ----------------------------------- Reported Adjustments(2) Adjusted ----------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 6,831 $ (840) $ 5,991 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 2,955 (416) 2,539 Selling, general & administrative 1,269 (172) 1,097 Depreciation and amortization 945 (72) 873 Special items - - - ----------------------------------- TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 5,169 (660) 4,509 ----------------------------------- OPERATING INCOME 1,662 (180) 1,482 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 341 (19) 322 Other - net (16) (100) (116) ----------------------------------- INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 1,337 (61) 1,276 Income taxes 482 (61) 421 ----------------------------------- NET INCOME $ 855 $ - $ 855 =================================== DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ .88 $ - $ .88 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 972 - 972 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Fourth Quarter Adjusted ------------------------ Adjusted 1999 1998 % Change --------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 6,741 $ 5,991 12.5 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 2,824 2,539 11.2 Selling, general & administrative 1,181 1,097 7.7 Depreciation and amortization 1,011 873 15.8 Special items - - - --------------------------------- TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 5,016 4,509 11.2 --------------------------------- OPERATING INCOME 1,725 1,482 16.4 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 353 322 9.6 Other - net (82) (116) (29.3) --------------------------------- INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 1,454 1,276 13.9 Income taxes 493 421 17.1 --------------------------------- NET INCOME $ 961 $ 855 12.4 ================================= DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ .98 $ .88 11.4 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 979 972 .7 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Twelve Months Ended December 31, 1999 ------------------------------------- Reported Adjustments(3) Adjusted ------------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 25,336 $ - $ 25,336 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 10,954 - 10,954 Selling, general & administrative 4,405 - 4,405 Depreciation and amortization 3,757 - 3,757 Special items (1,116) 1,116 - ------------------------------------ TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 18,000 1,116 19,116 ------------------------------------ OPERATING INCOME 7,336 (1,116) 6,220 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 1,277 - 1,277 Other - net (295) - (295) ------------------------------------ INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 6,354 (1,116) 5,238 Income taxes 2,291 (465) 1,826 ------------------------------------ INCOME BEFORE EXTRAORDINARY CHARGES 4,063 (651) 3,412 Extraordinary charges (30) 30 - ------------------------------------ NET INCOME $ 4,033 $ (621) $ 3,412 ==================================== DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ 4.12 $ (.63) $ 3.49 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 979 - 979 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Twelve Months Ended December 31, 1998 ------------------------------------- Reported Adjustments(4) Adjusted ------------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 25,473 $ (2,174) $ 23,299 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 10,741 (900) 9,841 Selling, general & administrative 4,821 (416) 4,405 Depreciation and amortization 3,820 (231) 3,589 Special items 755 (755) - ------------------------------------ TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 20,137 (2,302) 17,835 ------------------------------------ OPERATING INCOME 5,336 128 5,464 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 1,253 (20) 1,233 Other - net 38 (368) (330) ------------------------------------ INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 4,045 516 4,561 Income taxes 1,553 34 1,587 ------------------------------------ INCOME BEFORE EXTRAORDINARY CHARGES 2,492 482 2,974 Extraordinary charges (320) 320 - ------------------------------------ NET INCOME $ 2,172 $ 802 $ 2,974 ==================================== DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ 2.24 $ .83 $ 3.07 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 968 - 968 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In Millions, Except Per-Share Amounts) Unaudited Adjusted Twelve Months Ended December 31, ------------------------------ Adjusted 1999 1998 % Change --------------------------------------- REVENUES AND SALES $ 25,336 $ 23,299 8.7 OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES Cost of services and sales 10,954 9,841 11.3 Selling, general & administrative 4,405 4,405 - Depreciation and amortization 3,757 3,589 4.7 Special items - - - --------------------------------------- TOTAL OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES 19,116 17,835 7.2 --------------------------------------- OPERATING INCOME 6,220 5,464 13.8 OTHER (INCOME) EXPENSE Interest - net 1,277 1,233 3.6 Other - net (295) (330) (10.6) --------------------------------------- INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 5,238 4,561 14.8 Income taxes 1,826 1,587 15.1 --------------------------------------- INCOME BEFORE EXTRAORDINARY CHARGES 3,412 2,974 14.7 Extraordinary charges - - - --------------------------------------- NET INCOME $ 3,412 $ 2,974 14.7 ======================================= DILUTED EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE $ 3.49 $ 3.07 13.7 AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING - ASSUMING DILUTION 979 968 1.1 See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Adjusted Statements of Income GTE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED ADJUSTED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (1) On December 10, 1999, GTE completed the sale of its remaining Government Systems business, GTE Information Systems, LLC (ISD), to DynCorp. Reported results for the fourth quarter of 1999 include a $90 million net gain, primarily associated with the sale of ISD, partially offset by a special charge taken to exit certain small non-strategic businesses. The after-tax impact of this net gain is $46 million or $.05 per diluted share. (2) Reported results for the fourth quarter of 1998 have been adjusted for the following items: On September 1, 1999, substantially all of GTE's Government Systems business was sold to General Dynamics, and on December 10, 1999, the remainder of its Government Systems business, ISD, was sold to DynCorp (see Note 1). Reported results for 1999 include activity associated with these business units through their respective closing dates. For comparative purposes, fourth quarter and year-to-date revenues and operating expenses for 1998 have been adjusted to include activity only through the corresponding periods in 1998 for the Government Systems units sold. Net income and EPS for 1998 are not affected by these adjustments. On January 31, 1999, BC TELECOM, previously a majority-owned Canadian subsidiary of GTE, merged with TELUS. GTE's owner- ship interest in the merged company, TELUS, is 26.7%; there- fore, during the first quarter of 1999, GTE deconsolidated BC TELECOM and began accounting for the investment in TELUS using the equity method of accounting. For consistency, 1998 revenues and expenses have been adjusted to reflect the current method of accounting for this investment. Net income and EPS are not affected by these adjustments. (3) Reported results for 1999 include the special items described in Note 1 above, as well as the following special and extraordinary items recorded during 1999: Special items of $705 million, recorded in the third quarter, include the gain associated with the sale of substantially all of the Government Systems business on September 1, 1999 to General Dynamics for $1.03 billion in cash, partially offset by a special charge related to the impairment of assets associated with the Company's decision to exit certain small, non-core business activities. The after-tax impact of these special items is $416 million or $.42 per diluted share. A pretax gain of $513 million, recorded as a special item in the first quarter, associated with the merger of BC TELECOM and TELUS on January 31, 1999. The after-tax impact of this gain is $308 million, or $.31 per diluted share. Special charges of $192 million ($119 million after-tax, or $.12 per diluted share), recorded in the first quarter, associated with employee separation programs completed in early April 1999. The charges include separation and related benefits such as outplacement and benefit continuation costs. Extraordinary charges of $30 million after-tax, or $.03 per diluted share resulting from the repurchase of $338 million in high coupon debt prior to stated maturity. (4) Reported results for 1998 have been adjusted for the items described in Note 2 above, as well as the following items: During the fourth quarter of 1998, GTE increased its ownership interest in CTI Holdings, an Argentine wireless company, and began accounting for CTI Holdings on a consoli- dated basis. For consistency, 1998 revenues and expenses have been adjusted, where appropriate, to reflect the current method of accounting for this investment. Net income and EPS are not affected by these adjustments. Special charges of $755 million ($482 million after-tax, or $.50 per diluted share) related to asset impairments, the cost of exiting certain business activities and employee related costs recorded during the first quarter of 1998. Extraordinary charges of $320 million after-tax, or $.33 per diluted share, resulting from the discontinued use of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 71, 'Accounting for the Effects of Certain Types of Regulation' (SFAS No. 71), by GTE's Canadian operations, and the early retirement of long-term debt and preferred stock recorded during the first quarter of 1998. Note: Reclassifications and restatements of prior period operating statistics on the following schedules have been made, where appropriate, to conform to the 1999 presentation. MORE TO FOLLOW QRRBRMATMMBTBBM
UK 100

Latest directors dealings