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The Overland Park, Kan.-based company posted a quarterly loss of $980 million compared to a loss of $1.6 billion a year earlier. Revenue slipped 7 percent to $7.9 billion from $8.4 billion.

The company also said it lost 148,000 customers in the last three months, far fewer than the 545,000 customer cancellations, or churn, in the third quarter last year.

But much of the improvement came from its lower-paying prepaid consumers, attracting 435,000 customers to its Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile services.

Some analysts suspect Sprint's lack of a high-profile phone launch is partly to blame for the sluggish reports. Rivals Verizon and AT&T saw strong customer growth from the release of the Motorola Droid and Apple iPhone. Meanwhile, the company also faces stiff price competition from larger competitors.

"It is getting more competitive, there's no question, from a pricing perspective," said Dan Hesse, Sprint's chief executive. "But if you're looking for one thing, it will be 4G."

Hesse added that he expects a large boost when the company begins to sell smartphones that support its 4G network starting this year.