Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) reported better-than-expected first-quarter results on Tuesday as the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier lost fewer monthly phone subscribers than feared.

Shares of the company rose 3.4 per cent to US$50.30 in premarket trading.

Verizon lost 24,000 phone subscribers that pay bills on a monthly basis while analysts expected it to lose 69,000 subscribers, according to financial and data analytics firm FactSet.

Analysts at Jefferies characterized the results as "in-line to modestly better," according to a note sent to clients on Tuesday.

Net income attributable to Verizon rose to US$4.55 billion, or US$1.11 per share, in the first quarter ended March 31 from US$3.45 billion, or 85 cents per share, a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned US$1.17 per share. Total operating revenue rose to US$31.77 billion from US$29.81 billion a year earlier.

Analysts had expected adjusted earnings of US$1.10 per share and revenue of US$31.26 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Verizon’s first-quarter 2018 EPS included approximately 21 cents due to tax reform and accounting changes for revenue recognition.

The company expects savings from tax reform will generate a net US$3.5 billion to $4 billion uplift to cash flow from operations in 2018, resulting in an 55 to 65 cent increase in 2018 earnings per share.