JD Power’s findings on customer perception of network reliability are in line with recent findings from Ookla
Wireless customers in the U.S. are seeing improved customer experience due to 5G midband deployments, and thus are reporting that they are more satisfied overall and perceive mobile networks as more reliable, according to a new survey by J.D. Power.
“The reduction of problems has led to improved consumer perception of reliability and increased network quality satisfaction,” the firm said in a release.
“Despite a very public wireless service outage earlier this year, overall problems—especially loading speeds—have decreased,” said Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power. “A focus on mid-band spectrum for 5G by the industry has lowered latency through balancing speed and coverage, resulting in a better experience for mobile phone users.”
J.D. Power’s survey on network quality performance is based on responses from more than 25,500 wireless customers and was conducted during January-June 2024.
Across six U.S. regions, the firm ranked Verizon highest—as in, it had the lowest “problems per 100 connections,” by J.D. Power’s calculations—in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Northeast region, the West and the Southeast region, with the top spot in the North Central region tied between Verizon and UScellular, and a three-way tie among the national carriers for first in the Southwest region.
Problems per 100 connections ran between 7-10 PP100 for the top ranking.
Last month, analysis from Ookla focused on consumers’ 5G experience in the United States also found that continued midband spectrum deployments by U.S. national carriers were further improving 5G performance. “Speedtest Intelligence data shows a clear correlation between the release of additional mid-band spectrum, 5G performance, and consumer sentiment for 5G networks, with all three national wireless providers benefitting over the past 6 months,” the testing and analysis firm concluded in a blog post.
Ookla drew a straight line between access and breadth of midband spectrum holdings among the top three national carriers, to increases in 5G performance which in turn impacted, by its measures, the customer quality of experience for use cases such as video streaming and mobile gaming. Net Promoter Scores (NPS) for 5G rose roughly in tandem with performance improvements, Ookla elaborated.
