Facebook continued growing its business with ads placed on small screens last quarter, when it generated 73 percent of its sales from mobile ads.

Facebook’s total first-quarter revenue was US$3.54 billion, up more than 40 percent from a year earlier, the company reported Wednesday. That was a bit less than the consensus analyst estimate of $3.56 billion, as polled by Thomson Reuters.

With a trove of personal data on its billion-plus members — many of whom now log in from their smartphones — Facebook’s mobile ad business has become a powerhouse.

During the quarter, which ended March 31, Facebook grew its mobile ad sales by 59 percent to $2.59 billion. After going public in mid-2012, Facebook faced questions from investors over its ability to grow its business on mobile, but the company eventually dispelled those doubts.

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