The nation's second-largest cellphone company said it expects to report adding a net 500,000 new devices on contract-based plans during the April-June period. That would be the best second-quarter figure since 2010.
Since most Americans already have phones, the number of new customers added every quarter has been slipping across the industry. AT&T's tallies have been propped up by the addition of tablets, but these carry lower monthly fees than phones.
AT&T also said it's adding more U-verse broadband and TV customers than it did in the same period last year.
Dallas-based AT&T doesn't expect the influx of new customers to move the needle on overall sales this year. It said it still expects revenue to rise 2 percent in 2013.
AT&T shares fell 12 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $35.69 in afterhours trading, after the company released its outlook.
The company is set to report full second-quarter results on July 23.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.