Alltel ranks highest in wireless call quality in two regions and ties with T-Mobile to rank highest in a third, while Verizon Wireless leads in two regions and U.S. Cellular ranks highest in one region, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates report. The semi-annual study measures wireless call quality based on seven problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification. Call quality issues are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) calls, where a lower score reflects fewer problems and higher quality.
Study results by region are:
- Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, with fewer customer-reported problems in dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion compared with the regional average.
- Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest for a seventh consecutive time, with fewer customer-reported problems regarding interference/static and voice distortion compared with the regional average.
- Southeast Region: Alltel ranks highest in the region, with customers reporting fewer problems than the regional average in dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion.
- North Central Region: U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a fifth consecutive time, with customers reporting fewer problems in initial connection, dropped calls, static/interference and voice distortion compared with the regional average.
- Southwest Region: Alltel and T-Mobile tie to rank highest in the region. Alltel customers report fewer problems regarding dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion. T-Mobile customers experience fewer problems with initial disconnect issues compared with the regional average.
- West Region: Alltel ranks highest for the first time in this region, with customers reporting fewer problems in initial connections and static/interference than the regional average.
The study study finds that there is a lower rate of call quality problems with certain technologies used by wireless providers. In particular, CDMA technology can potentially lessen the number of call quality problems customers experience. The average number of call quality problems reported by customers using CDMA technology is 14 PP100, while the average is 17 PP100 for wireless customers using GSM networks. Additionally, customers using iDEN network technology report an average of 23 PP100.
The study also finds that wireless customers who use 3G mobile devices that support higher data speeds experience fewer problems than customers who do not use 3G devices. The 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study-Volume 1 is based on responses from 24,570 wireless users. The results are from the two most recent reporting waves, conducted September through October 2007 and January 2008.
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