In what will likely be its last quarterly earnings report before spinning off its local phone unit, Sprint Nextel said growth in key areas, especially broadband Internet access, helped drive revenue higher. Revenue for the first quarter was US$8.5 billion, up 13 percent from the same time last year, the company said, driven largely by demand for DSL lines and wireless subscriptions -- it added 1.3 million new accounts. Earnings were significantly lower, however, down 11 percent on merger charges and other costs.
