According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study (Volume 2), which is based on responses from 26,695 customers between January and June, Verizon Wireless currently ranks highest in five out of six geographic regions. Verizon leads the pack in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest and West regions. U.S. Cellular ranks highest in the North Central region. Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T failed to lead a single region.
The study focused on activities that impact network performance the most, such as calling, messaging and data. Overall network performance was based on the following problem areas: dropped calls, calls not connected, audio issues, failed/late voicemails, lost calls, text transmission failures, late text message notifications, Web connection errors, email connection errors, and slow downloads.
In the end, customers who use 4G LTE-equipped smartphones are said to experience fewer data-related issues than those who use older 3G/4G technologies (HSPA+, WiMax). That speaks volumes considering Big Red’s 4G LTE network now covers more than 75% of the population in 371 markets across the nation. For reference, AT&T and Sprint are next in line with 53 and 19 markets, respectively.