Verizon Communications Inc. added 584,000 monthly bill-paying customers in the third quarter, exceeding analysts’ expectations of 580,000 as the battle for smart-phone users continues.

Reuters reported that the company has lost market share to AT&T Inc., the exclusive U.S. carrier for Apple Inc., which manufactures the iPhone. The popular device helped AT&T add 745,000 customers in the third quarter.

But Verizon plans to begin selling the iPhone next year, a move that is eagerly anticipated by investors. Until then, the company will depend heavily on the sale of smart phones based on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.

Verizon’s third-quarter net profit fell to $881 million, or 31 cents per share, from $1.18 billion, or 41 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Its revenues fell to $26.48 billion from $27.27 billion in the year-ago quarter.