Verizon Wireless Tops Carrier Ratings

The top-rated wireless carrier in the U.S. is Verizon Wireless according to a survey conducted recently by Consumer Reports magazine. Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone plc (NASDAQ: VOD) received favorable scores in service categories like voice and data service quality, staff knowledge, and resolution of issues.

Other major wireless carriers AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), and T-Mobile USA, a division of Deutsche Telekom, got "mostly middling to low marks, particularly for voice and text service quality.

AT&T received the highest score for its 4G LTE network, as users reported the fewest problems with the high-speed service that is now becoming the network of choice among smartphone users. Apparently the fact that AT&T's 4G network is a higher-speed 3G network, not a true 4G network, is a matter of indifference to users.

The Consumer Reports survey, which was part of a larger study on cell-phone service generally, also found that customers could save up to $20 a month by subscribing to no-contract (pre-paid) service plans.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Product, Research, Telecom & Wireless Tagged: S, T, VOD, VZ