Regionals impressive in latest J.D. Power study: Alltel, U.S. Cellular take top spots in four of six regions

Regional wireless operator Alltel Corp. posted a strong showing in J.D. Power and Associates latest rankings of wireless call quality, taking the sole or partial top spot in three of the report’s six regions. Alltel just nipped past Verizon Wireless, which was tops in two of the regions, as well as U.S. Cellular Corp., which scored one top ranking, and T-Mobile USA Inc., which shared the title in one region with Alltel.
The study, J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study, Volume 1, looked at seven areas including dropped calls, static/interference, failed connection on the first try, voice distortion, echoes, no immediate voicemail notification, and no immediate text message notification.
According to the 24,570 responses, Alltel was judged to have the highest call quality in the Southeast and West region and tied with T-Mobile USA for highest call quality in the Southwest. Verizon Wireless was judged highest in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, while U.S. Cellular picked up the top spot for the North Central region.
J.D. Power and Associates noted that CDMA-based operators performed particularly well in the latest findings, with all the top spots filled by CDMA carriers. The only victory for GSM-based carriers was T-Mobile USA’s tie with Alltel in the Southwest.
“The average number of call quality problems reported by customers using CDMA technology is [14 problems per 100 calls], while the average is [17 problems per 100 calls] for wireless customers using [GSM] networks,” the consumer research firm noted. “Additionally, customers using iDEN network technology report an average of [23 problems per 100 calls].”
Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates, noted that “CDMA technology is generally considered to be more efficient for processing wireless calls, as it requires fewer cell sites to handle call volume compared with other wireless platforms,” but said the technology alone does not guarantee fewer call-quality problems. “Locating, operating and managing complex network systems all require expertise from both the service carriers and their supporting network vendors to optimize call quality performance.”
The study also found that customers using 3G handsets experienced fewer call-quality issues.
“One key benefit to using 3G technology is that carriers can greatly increase the capacity of handling voice and data transmissions with existing network equipment,” said Parsons. “For example, problems occur at a 12% lower rate when calls are placed or received using a 3G-enabled mobile device compared with calls made or received using earlier-generation devices.”