Since T-Mobile and Sprint merged, competition in the wireless industry has intensified, as that carrier joined Verizon and AT&T to form the “big three” wireless operators. When it comes to quality and reliability, which company is doing the best job?
According to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, Verizon came out on top with fewer reported calling and network quality problems than any other carrier.
“The performance of wireless network operators has set expectations high,” said Ian Greenblatt, managing director of technology, media & telecom at J.D. Power. “Today’s wireless customers expect their phones to work perfectly every time. Carriers increasingly fulfill those expectations of network quality and reliability, so call-related problems, dropped calls and bad connections are that much more frustrating to customers, and those problems substantially affect satisfaction.”
Verizon Wireless swept all six regions of the country, achieving the fewest network quality problems per 100 connections (PP100) in call quality; messaging quality; and data quality in the Mid-Atlantic, North Central, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and West regions.
What ConsumerAffairs reviewers say
Among ConsumerAffairs reviewers, Verizon Wireless rates only an overall 1.1 star. However, most of the negative comments have to do with customer services – an issue that seems to plague most carriers.
When reviewers did comment on quality, some – like Nikki, of Leonardtown, Md., had nice things to say about Verizon.
“I just switched to Verizon from Straight Talk and I couldn’t be happier,” Nikki wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “Before, I could barely watch a video on my phone due to horrible service despite me having the unlimited plan. My signal was also below par. Now, My service with Verizon has been absolutely amazing. I have no issues streaming and my signal is always fantastic. I definitely pay more with Verizon but it’s worth every penny.”
T-Mobile rates only slightly higher with ConsumerAffairs reviewers, earning an overall 1.2 star status. AT&T was also rated just 1.2 stars by ConsumerAffairs reviewers, with many of the negative comments mentioning customer service, not performance.
For the big three, the bigger challenge appears to be keeping customers happy more than delivering a solid, stable connection.