AT&T: iPhone 5 supplies improving

AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens said tight iPhone 5 supplies have improved in recent weeks. Stephens, speaking at a Wells Fargo technology conference, was asked about iPhone inventory and said:

Supply was challenged in the third quarter, and quite frankly, the supply situation has improved, and we expect it to continue to improve, and we're thrilled with that. It's a popular choice of our customers and we want to provide those choices.

So, we have seen an improvement and we are confident we will see more as we move really into the heavy holiday sales season that's going to becoming up in the next few weeks and going through the end of the year.

That news is welcome to Apple's current quarter and customers waiting for new iPhones. Stephens noted that 62 percent of its customer base has smartphones.

Related: Foxconn 'falling short' of iPhone demand

On other topics:

• Stephens said AT&T's plan to build out its wireless and wireline broadband networks is a move to have an all IP network. From there, AT&T can add more revenue producing services.
• Half of AT&T's customers are taking 10 gigabit tiered plans or more. Sixty percent of that base is taking 6GB or better a month.
• "We still believe that there is a huge opportunity with tablets. We have a huge opportunity -- there are not very many tablets attached with a mobile share plan. We think we're going to encourage that. And then we have -- we are very optimistic about the four new businesses -- connected cars, and so forth," said Stephens.