—Verizon Wireless has yet again come out on top of a network quality study conducted by J.D. Power, however unlike a similar consumer survey released earlier this year it was not unanimous.
According to J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Wireless Network Quality Study, Verizon Wireless scored top network quality results across five of the six regions in the survey: Northeast, Southeast, North Central, Southwest and West. AT&T Mobility kept it from being a sweep, taking the top ranking in the Mid-Atlantic region, where Verizon Wireless placed second.
The survey included results from more than 25,000 consumers surveyed through the first half of this year. Verizon Wireless managed to score top marks across all six regions in the previous network quality survey released earlier this year that consisted of consumers queried through the second half of 2013.
While AT&T Mobility managed to score victory in one region, the carrier swapped between No. 2 and No. 3 with T-Mobile US across the rest of the country. The lone consistency in the results was Sprint’s No. 4 ranking across all six regions.
Digging into the numbers, J.D. Power did note that while call quality and messaging quality improved compared with the previous survey, problems with data networks increased from 14 problems per 100 connections to 16 problems per 100 connections. Also mined from the data was greater consumer satisfaction in network quality from those using tablets and mobile broadband devices compared with those accessing cellular networks from smartphones.
“The ability to provide a high-quality experience with the network is largely dependent on how well carriers understand usage patterns and customer expectations of the network,” explained Kirk Parsons, senior director and practice leader of telecommunications at J.D. Power. “While customers may be leveraging the same network across a multitude of devices — including smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband devices — their experience can be different given the variety of locations in which they are used and the different activities performed on each.”
—While its domestic network left something to be desired, Sprint boosted its international roaming capabilities with the launch of a Wi-Fi calling service. The offering allows customers traveling abroad with Wi-Fi Calling enabled phones to make and receive calls to the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico at no additional charge while connected to a Wi-Fi network.
The service is available across 11 smartphones, including the HTC One Max, One and One Harman/Kardon edition; the LG G3 and G Flex; Samsung’s Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S 4 Mini, Galaxy S 5, Galaxy S 5 Sport, Galaxy Mega and Galaxy Note 3; and the soon-to-launch Sharp Aquos Crystal.
Sprint earlier this year announced plans to launch international Wi-Fi calling that will allow customers to make calls and send text messages via Wi-Fi from 100 countries, which followed up on earlier announcements regarding an increased focus on voice-over-Wi-Fi services.
—AT&T Mobility late last week announced it would hand out $100 in bill credit to new or existing customers activating a new line of service with a smartphone on its Next device financing program. The promotion is set to run through the end of September.
The move continues a rash of competitive deals announced by wireless carriers over the past several weeks, including several from AT&T Mobility and its Cricket prepaid subsidiary.
—Regional wireless operator Ntelos Wireless launched a new promotion offering customers a single line of service with unlimited voice calling, text messaging and 10 gigabytes of data for $45 per month. Customers can step up to unlimited data on that plan for $55 per month.
The promotion is available to new customers and existing Ntelos Wireless customers who are eligible for an upgrade on their two-year contract. Customers porting their number to Ntelos are also eligible for its recently launched early-termination fee buyout program that offers up to $350 in device credit.
Ntelos announced in late July its longtime CEO James Hyde had resigned his position, which also included the titles of president and member of the company’s board of directors. Ntelos’ board has yet to name a successor, but it did announce that current director Rodney Dir had taken on the role of president and COO, while chairman of the board Michael Huber would “oversee strategic relationships and external communications.”
—T-Mobile US is looking to keep its “un-carrier” momentum rolling, announcing via Twitter that it is planning an “Un-carrier 7.0” event Sept. 10. The event is set for the day after Apple is expected to announce its latest iPhone iteration.
T-Mobile US’ previous “Un-carrier” events have varied between industry-shaking and mere filler in quality. With T-Mobile US announcing its latest event immediately following Apple setting its presumed iPhone launch, it can be assumed that the event could have an Apple hint.
Additional carrier news can be found on the RCR Wireless News “Carriers” page.
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