Verizon loses 68,000 wireless subscribers as coronavirus takes toll

(Reuters) – Verizon Communications Inc lost 68,000 phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill in the first quarter, as people stayed indoors due to lockdowns to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

Analysts had expected it to gain 100 subscribers in the quarter ended March 31.

Total operating revenue for the wireless carrier fell 1.6% to $31.6 billion from a year earlier.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)