1st-quarter sales fall short at Qwest

Qwest Communications International Inc., the local-phone service provider in 14 U.S. states, said first-quarter sales fell short of analysts' estimates as customers dropped lines to fend off the economic slump.

Revenue was less than the $3.25 billion average projected by analysts in a Thomson Reuters survey, Qwest spokeswoman Diane Reberger said. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg estimated $3.24 billion. The Denver-based company is scheduled to report full results April 29.

Chief Executive Officer Edward Mueller is cutting jobs and spending less on network upgrades to shore up profit as Qwest's business customers scale back spending and home-phone customers cut their lines in favor of newer technology.