AT&T: Eighty percent of smartphones sold in Q4 2011 were iPhones

Apple sold a blockbuster number of iPhones in Q1 2012, and these extraordinary sales trickled down to its carrier partners. In the US, the biggest beneficiary of this explosion is AT&T which announced it activated 7.6 million iPhones in the just-ending quarter. This number is about 20 percent of Apple's total iPhone sales for the quarter.

AT&T had its best quarter ever for iPhone and smartphone sales. The carrier sold 9.4 million smartphones, 50 percent more than its previous quarterly record and almost double its Q3 2011 sales. iPhones were the dominant smartphone for the carrier and accounted for 80 percent of its smartphone sales.

The carrier said it had its best-ever quarter for Android sales and doubled what it sold in the same quarter last year. Though strong, Android doesn't compare to the iPhone on AT&T. We can calculate that the carrier sold 1.8 million or less Android devices, which is a drop in the bucket compared to iPhone sales.

AT&T also thoroughly trounced Verizon which sold 4.3 million iPhones. This lower number may be due, in part, to AT&T's portfolio, which includes three iPhones- the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4 and the highly discounted iPhone 3GS. Verizon only carries the iPhone 4 and 4S. Those who bought the iPhone 4 when it launched in early 2011 were under contract and would have to break a contract to buy the 4S when it debuted.