Verizon Wireless tops, AT&T Mobility flops on data speeds in Los Angeles

In the Los Angeles metro area Verizon Wireless (VZ) gets the top nod in a new report that sought out to test wireless data speeds and various features among the top four nationwide operators. AT&T Mobility (T) took home the unenviable last-place ranking while Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) and T-Mobile USA (DTEGY) virtually tied for second place.
Out of a total score of 100, Verizon scored 88.4, T-Mobile squeaked through with 51.3, Sprint got 47.4 and AT&T rounded out last with 42.9. The Bellevue, Wash.-based firm tested the networks’ performance on various activities, such as making calls, uploading and downloading files, and sending and receiving text messages.
Verizon Wireless data speeds were nearly three-times faster on average than the Sprint, which turned in the second-fastest download network. Verizon’s LTE network was up to six times faster than AT&T, which delivered the second-fastest upload network, RootMetrics reported. Moreover, Verizon’s LTE network was the most reliable in Los Angeles, with a 96% connection rate to the data network. T-Mobile only measured a data success rate of 89%.
Of the markets that RootMetrics has surveyed to date — Seattle, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Houston and Washington, D.C. — Los Angeles measured the fastest data speeds yet.
Dropped-call rates came in at 3% for AT&T and T-Mobile, nearly 2% on Sprint’s network and less than .5% on Verizon’s network. In terms of text message delivery times, T-Mobile took home the top honors at 6.6 seconds on average while AT&T lagged behind once again in last place at 15.3 seconds.