Lindner noted on the call that installation costs in the BellSouth region will be 10 to 15 percent cheaper than in AT&T's traditional footprint. This, he says, is because AT&T had more rural customers and BellSouth's fiber is deeper in its network.

    Speculation still remains as to whether or not fiber-to-the-node was the right call for U-Verse. "The company's Lightspeed fiber-to-the-node initiative remains untested at scale, especially the U-verse video component, as does the company's commitment to the strategy if strategic level delays or problems develop," writes Banc of America Securities LLC analyst David Barden in a research note today.

    Shares of AT&T are up $0.18 (0.45%) to $40.21 in early afternoon trading on Tuesday. The company's shares are up about 15 percent so far this year.