NEW YORK â€" Verizon Communications reported on Thursday that its net income in the third quarter rose 15.5 percent, to $1.59 billion, from the period a year earlier.

The company said revenue climbed 3.9 percent, to $29 billion, in line with a survey of analysts’ expectations by FactSet.

“In the third quarter, Verizon continued to deliver double-digit earnings growth and strong cash generation,” said Lowell C. McAdam, Verizon’s chairman and chief executive, “and we remain solidly on track to meet our financial objectives for the year.”

The company, based in New York, said its wireless business had record profit thanks to strong sales of smartphones as well as the popularity of its new shared data plans, which can be more expensive for individuals but can save money for higher-income families with multiple devices.

Verizon sold 6.8 million smartphones in the quarter, compared with 5.6 million in the period a year earlier, and its shared data plans helped increase revenue per account to $145.42 a month, up 6.5 percent.

Verizon Wireless, the largest American wireless carrier, is leading the race in the United States to build out a fourth-generation LTE network, which is faster and more efficient than its predecessor, 3G. The company has LTE service in 419 cities; AT&T, the second-biggest American carrier, is in a distant second, with LTE service in about 50 cities.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture with Vodafone of Britain, said its 4G LTE network was helping attract customers. It added 1.5 million contract customers in the third quarter, bringing the total of subscribers on contracts to 34.8 million.