J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study provided most carriers with something to brag about, as four of the six nationwide operators posted high scores for at least one of the six regions the marketing firm included in the study.
J.D. Power and Associates noted the study employs a call-quality index based on experiences reported by 21,700 wireless users across seven customer-reported problem areas impacting overall carrier performance, including static/interference, connection on first try, voice distortion, no echoes, dropped/disconnected calls, no immediate voice-mail notification and no immediate text-message notification.
The survey shined brightest on Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS and T-Mobile USA Inc., as all three carriers posted leading scores in two of the six regions included in the study.
Verizon Wireless scored highest in the Mid-Atlantic region and tied for highest in the Northeast region; Sprint PCS was ranked highest in the West and tied with Verizon Wireless in the Northeast; while T-Mobile USA was the highest-rated carrier in the Southwest and Southeast. Nextel Communications Inc. took its lone top honors in the North Central region.
While carriers have questioned the validity of such independent tests, they noted that such consumer-facing studies could prove a good starting point for wireless customers.
“We have made a concerted effort to improve our network across the country with an increased emphasis on our West and Northeast operations,” said a Sprint PCS spokeswoman. “This survey validates those efforts and shows that we are doing what we said we would do.”
Sprint PCS also posted above-average scores in the Southeast and Southwest, but lagged behind the industry average in the Mid-Atlantic and North Central regions.
Verizon Wireless, which typically dominates consumer satisfaction surveys and did not score below average in any one region of the survey, said it did not subscribe to the J.D. Power and Associates survey so it could not comment specifically on the results.
In addition to top honors in two regions, T-Mobile USA was judged at or better than the industry average in the remaining four regions. The results also backed up a separate survey released by J.D. Power and Associates last month that ranked T-Mobile USA highest among its nationwide competitors in customer-care performance.
Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and AT&T Wireless Services Inc. dominated the bottom of the charts with each carrier managing to garner the lowest score in three of the six regions: Cingular in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and North Central regions, and AWS lowest ranked in the Southeast, Southwest and West. Cingular managed to post an above-average score in the West, while AWS was below average in all six regions. The two carriers hope to merge before the end of the year.
Verizon Wireless ranked highest in five of the six regions in last year’s survey, while Nextel, Cingular, T-Mobile USA and AWS all garnered a top ranking in at least one of the six regions.
The study also found that call quality varied widely across the six regions with wireless customers in the Mid-Atlantic region reporting a lower rate of call quality problems, which J.D. Power and Associates linked with fewer connection issues in areas of dropped/disconnected calls and initial connections. In contrast, wireless customers in the Northeast experienced higher reported problems, including calls not connected on the first try and the failure to send both voice and text messages in a timely manner.
“Not surprising, overall call-quality performance varies based on where a call is placed or received,” explained Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “In order to provide the best possible call quality experience, carriers need to manage their network to reflect their specific customers’ usage patterns. With an increasingly competitive environment and changing industry landscape, carriers that offer superior network quality will increase their likelihood of attracting new customers and will retain more of their existing base.”
