SBC reports fourth-quarter DSL growth

SBC Communications reported a 12 percent jump in subscriber numbers for its digital subscriber line service in the fourth quarter of 2003, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of growth for its broadband Internet business.

SBC said it added 378,000 new DSL customers for the quarter ending Dec. 31, for a total of nearly 3.5 million subscribers. Last quarter, the company reported a gain of 365,000 new DSL subscribers, or 13 percent, from the previous quarter, to 3.1 million.