JD Powers- Alltel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless Each Make a Sound....

[strunke]

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Alltel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless Each Make a Sound Connection with Wireless Users and Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Call Quality

Incidence of Call Quality Problems Varies Widely Due to Differences in Major Network Technologies

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 27 March 2008 – Alltel ranks highest in wireless call quality in two regions and ties with T-Mobile to rank highest in a third, while Verizon Wireless leads in two regions and U.S. Cellular ranks highest in one region, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance StudySM—Volume 1 released today.

The semi-annual study measures wireless call quality based on seven problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification. Call quality issues are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) calls, where a lower score reflects fewer problems and higher quality. Study results by region are:

Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, with fewer customer-reported problems in dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion compared with the regional average.

Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest for a seventh consecutive time, with fewer customer-reported problems regarding interference/static and voice distortion compared with the regional average.

Southeast Region: Alltel ranks highest in the region, with customers reporting fewer problems than the regional average in dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion.

North Central Region: U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a fifth consecutive time, with customers reporting fewer problems in initial connection, dropped calls, static/interference and voice distortion compared with the regional average.

Southwest Region: Alltel and T-Mobile tie to rank highest in the region. Alltel customers report fewer problems regarding dropped calls, initial connections and voice distortion. T-Mobile customers experience fewer problems with initial disconnect issues compared with the regional average.

West Region: Alltel ranks highest for the first time in this region, with customers reporting fewer problems in initial connections and static/interference than the regional average.

The study finds that there is a lower rate of call quality problems with certain technologies used by wireless providers. In particular, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology can potentially lessen the number of call quality problems customers experience. The average number of call quality problems reported by customers using CDMA technology is 14 PP100, while the average is 17PP100 for wireless customers using Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks. Additionally, customers using iDEN network technology report an average of 23 PP100.

“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,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. “Additionally, major service providers that use the CDMA platform, such as Alltel and Verizon Wireless, typically perform better, with fewer initial disconnects, more on-time text messages, and less interference and static. However, while CDMA is certainly advantageous, this technology alone does not necessarily 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 finds that wireless customers who use third-generation (3G) enabled mobile devices that support higher data speeds experience fewer problems than customers who do not use 3G devices.

“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 percent lower rate when calls are placed or received using a 3G-enabled mobile device compared with calls made or received using earlier-generation devices.”

The 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study—Volume 1 is based on responses from 24,570 wireless users. The results are from the two most recent reporting waves, conducted September through October 2007 and January 2008. For more information on customer satisfaction with wireless service, wireless retail sales, cell phone handsets, customer care, prepaid wireless service and business wireless service, please visit JDPower.com.

2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study - Volume 1 | J.D. Power and Associates

[Mobile Mike]

It amazes me that Minnesota is in the "West" region???

[strunke]

Originally Posted by Mobile Mike

It amazes me that Minnesota is in the "West" region???

I think they just call any west of the Mississippi river and it's tributaries (right word?) is west. LOL

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by strunke

I think they just call any west of the Mississippi river and it's tributaries (right word?) is west. LOL

It's a lot like professional sports leagues who've, in the past, had teams in the wrong geographic regional division.

Who could forget the NL West of baseball with Cincinnati and Atlanta, or the NFL and it's Atlanta and New Orleans teams in the West Division. Who knew Atlanta, in the Eastern Time Zone no less, was actually in the "West"?

Even now, St. Louis is in the West and Dallas is in the East??? I know it's because of long-standing rivalries, but c'mon, this is ridiculous.

[tresPiece]

...nice info... good post.. nice to see that alltel was victorious in three areas..

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by strunke

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Alltel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless Each Make a Sound Connection with Wireless Users and Rank Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Call Quality

Incidence of Call Quality Problems Varies Widely Due to Differences in Major Network Technologies

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 27 March 2008 – Alltel ranks highest in wireless call quality in two regions and ties with T-Mobile to rank highest in a third, while Verizon Wireless leads in two regions and U.S. Cellular ranks highest in one region, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance StudySM—Volume 1 released today.

West Region: Alltel ranks highest for the first time in this region, with customers reporting fewer problems in initial connections and static/interference than the regional average.

2008 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study - Volume 1 | J.D. Power and Associates

What's interesting to me is because the West region contains so many states, and several CLEARLY NOT in the "West", it allowed Alltel to come up ahead. Alltel does have service in most of the western states, but not ALL, specifically California, which has more wireless customers than those other states combined!

Alltel is only in two very small areas of California, leaving ALL of the major wireless population centers out in the cold. Though I wish Alltel was available in the Los Angeles area, it isn't.

Of course, these JD Powers surveys are always suspect when talking about wireless, since it's truly subjective.

I'm not slamming Alltel's win in the West at all, but their win should come with an *(asterisk), IMO. My opinion would be the same if Qwest came out at number 1 as well.

[AnthroMatt]

JD Powers is always a bit flaky, but I am fairly surprised that Sprint wasn't dead last everywhere. That seems to be the norm in JD surveys.

Mike, you make good points re Alltel and the west. I am wondering if the West isn't made into such a huge geographic area in the interest of balancing population counts in the regions so that they all have roughly the same number of "voters" in each region?

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by AnthroMatt

JD Powers is always a bit flaky, but I am fairly surprised that Sprint wasn't dead last everywhere. That seems to be the norm in JD surveys.

Mike, you make good points re Alltel and the west. I am wondering if the West isn't made into such a huge geographic area in the interest of balancing population counts in the regions so that they all have roughly the same number of "voters" in each region?

Having the western region in include so many states for a more equal population distribution between the regions makes a lot of sense. I hadn't thought about it that way. It explains a lot. Excellent point, Matt.

[cellular_freak]

What clearly stands out the most is that AT&T is at the bottom of most of these lists (or near the bottom). It's just so odd that such a large national company can perform so poorly in all these areas. It just really sucks that the iPhone is with AT&T or else I wouldn't be making the switch when the 3G version comes out. (The again, 3G will probably be better than regular GSM, but I will never benefit from 3G because AT&T will never deploy it in my area.)

It does kind of show also that CDMA call quality is much more superior to GSM. I've always said this forever and I've tried to get my family to realize this because we live in the boonies where CDMA is much better and GSM sucks and it buzzes like crazy. It's still a shame that I have to switch in order to get the iPhone!!! It's such an amazing device, but it's gonna cost me voice quality to switch to AT&T.

[Analog man]

dude, forget the iphone, its crap to me. id rather have a phone that can make call than some fancy device that makes a good paper weight, besides iphones are buggy

[MasterC]

Alltel is looking good in the rankings. What suprises me is, that ATT is so low on call quality in just about every region.

[Eric47]

i think its all skewed around.

verizon should be at the top of the southeast, and possibly the west and att right behind them usually.

not to mention the part where they say that "CDMA is superior bc they can hold more calls per cell site" that shows you right there that they didnt even do their research as that is not such the case from the facts upon which i have read.

[strunke]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

verizon should be at the top of the southeast, and possibly the west and att right behind them usually.

I don't think that's quite right imo. That is what you are suppose to think with the marketing and what not but not actual results. I'm not saying that is why you think that it's just whenever I talk to anyone from the southeast it's either At&t or Alltel. The rest are not up to par to those two. With the exception of the coast, ca, or, wa. Alltel has the most extensive network in the "west". Easily beating out the national carriers. They aren't the best everywhere but they cover a lot of areas where the others don't.

[zdoyle35]

Come and get your Love!

[Quint101]

IMHO, Verizon's call quality is good in the areas I frequent (Northern Florida and Georgia) despite the smaller native coverage in my innediate area. AT&T is good as well... Sprint and TMobile are soso. Only Nextel garners the complaints. Although Alltel kicks Verizon's butt in coverage here, I cannot get used to the "click, click, click..." that Alltel employs around here Besides, Verizon performs better at my house and at work, so I am keeping them. In Atlanta, Verizon is rock solid for the most part, but most wireless companies are decent there.

I find it interesting that AT&T and Sprint always end up at the bottom of JDPowers surveys....

[rirwin]

Originally Posted by Quint101

IMHO, Verizon's call quality is good in the areas I frequent (Northern Florida and Georgia) despite the smaller native coverage in my innediate area. AT&T is good as well... Sprint and TMobile are soso. Only Nextel garners the complaints. Although Alltel kicks Verizon's butt in coverage here, I cannot get used to the "click, click, click..." that Alltel employs around here Besides, Verizon performs better at my house and at work, so I am keeping them. In Atlanta, Verizon is rock solid for the most part, but most wireless companies are decent there.

I find it interesting that AT&T and Sprint always end up at the bottom of JDPowers surveys....

Guess they dident contribute enought to have a higher ranking. I mean realy HTF can t-mobile rank higher than at&t and they use the exact same tech, and roam on one another.

[strunke]

You are talking about the clicks before the ringing or before the call actually connects? Those clicks before the call connects are supposed to be going away soon. It's because of the type of switch used. I don't have them. But i think the lucent or motorola ones do. Nortel ones are suppose to be the future switches for alltel.

rirwin- it's not about the tech really, it's about how the network is built, codec, etc...

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

i think its all skewed around.

verizon should be at the top of the southeast, and possibly the west and att right behind them usually.

I roam on VZW in this area sometimes, especially up towards Asheville.
Though VZW coverage is great, IMO call quality is less than Alltel's.
Most notably, through periods of soft handoff, Verizon & Sprint give a brief static, and Alltel doesn't.

Originally Posted by EricN4707

not to mention the part where they say that "CDMA is superior bc they can hold more calls per cell site" that shows you right there that they didnt even do their research as that is not such the case from the facts upon which i have read.

CDMA technology can handle many more calls per cell site, (thank you soft handoff!)
Soft handoff is a great benefit of CDMA technology.
GSM has more cell sites in an area for that reason, because of less available capacity.

For example in a certain area,
lets say GSM carrier A, and CDMA carrier B cover the same area with the same amount of towers and coverage.
In times of high cell traffic, the GSM carrier would reach capacity much sooner.

[Quint101]

Originally Posted by strunke

You are talking about the clicks before the ringing or before the call actually connects? Those clicks before the call connects are supposed to be going away soon. It's because of the type of switch used. I don't have them. But i think the lucent or motorola ones do. Nortel ones are suppose to be the future switches for alltel.

Yeah, I am talking about those clicks. I see that the switches are different. I went thru Newnan, GA (SID 204) and the clicks were not there. Just the normal ringing. However, when I go into South Georgia in the same SID (like Cordele, Thomasville), the clicks are heard. So it's possible for different towns within the same SID to have different switches... although Newnan is in an area Alltel acquired 3-4 years ago, so the upgrade/buildout could have been different from the legacy network.

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by Quint101

Yeah, I am talking about those clicks. I see that the switches are different. I went thru Newnan, GA (SID 204) and the clicks were not there. Just the normal ringing. However, when I go into South Georgia in the same SID (like Cordele, Thomasville), the clicks are heard. So it's possible for different towns within the same SID to have different switches... although Newnan is in an area Alltel acquired 3-4 years ago, so the upgrade/buildout could have been different from the legacy network.

I get the same clicks only on Alltel if not on my home SID (SID 114), only lasts a few seconds though.
I do not get those clicks if I roam on anyone else though.

It's not really a problem.
Though sometimes when people call me (on other Alltel SIDs), 1 out of 50 times it'll click for up to 30 seconds,
and sends them to voicemail, and my phone never rings, but then they call right back and everythings ok.

I think those clicks are a way of the tower trying to locate the mobile phone.

If you ever call a Nextel customer, you get somewhat the same thing sometimes.
"Please hold while the Nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located."

[Quint101]

Ah, kinda like the ringback tone... Verizon plays a fake ring (I instituted the Ringback music tones on my line) while the phone is located. TMobile just has silence while the party is being located. Back in the day, Alltel had the "Please hold while your party is located"; I initially had alltel prepaid back in 2004 and that recording played but that tacky click click plays now; I have noticed that the clicks can be faint at times, though.

[MasterC]

I have Alltel and have been in numerous areas out of my home zone, and never have had clicking problems.

[Eric47]

i still find it hard to believe CDMA can handle more.

in my experience and from what ive read, i have always assumed the opposite.

but then again ive been wrong many times in my life

either case, i feel that any published "comparison" is always skewed, espically when done by a company that is for profit... i.e. JD powers, Consumer Report, etc.

lets not forget, American Cars and Trucks win JD Powers awards on a yearly basis...yet i buy Hondas that at 200k run better than Pontiacs at 50k that win awards...

any surveys/comparisons/write ups must always be taken with a grain of salt...i suppose thats my overall point.

[strunke]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

i still find it hard to believe CDMA can handle more.

in my experience and from what ive read, i have always assumed the opposite.

but then again ive been wrong many times in my life

either case, i feel that any published "comparison" is always skewed, espically when done by a company that is for profit... i.e. JD powers, Consumer Report, etc.

lets not forget, American Cars and Trucks win JD Powers awards on a yearly basis...yet i buy Hondas that at 200k run better than Pontiacs at 50k that win awards...

any surveys/comparisons/write ups must always be taken with a grain of salt...i suppose thats my overall point.

Yeah i agree mostly about the paid survey thing. Though it's now kind of the opposite affect with them now. Most domestic cars are the same as the japanese ones. It's just that the years of the others outperforming are carrying over. The non domestic still win the most regardless of actual performance or quality.

But yeah CDMA can hold more calls, per it is uses the spectrum more efficiently. Which is why WCDMA is that much better then GSM. Roughly, it spreads the signal throughout the spectrum.

[Mobile Mike]

I'm also a little surprised how AT&T fared. I've not had any problems with call quality lately, unlike a couple of years ago when call quality in parts of Greater L.A. was miserable. They've improved immensely since then.

Again, I don't trust this survey. It's purely subjective. All carriers are good or bad, depending on location and a myriad of other reasons.

[larry]

Originally Posted by AnthroMatt

JD Powers is always a bit flaky, but I am fairly surprised that Sprint wasn't dead last everywhere. That seems to be the norm in JD surveys.

Even though Sprint appears to have beaten out AT&T overall this time they still aren't giving Sprint the credit they deserve. Sprint's CDMA system is much better than these result show and if they had better customer service, better marketing message, better phones, etc they would certainly do better in call quality as well. Guaranteed.

Also I wonder if this is based on both IDEN and CDMA? I'm sure IDEN would bring down their average a little.

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by Mobile Mike

I'm also a little surprised how AT&T fared. I've not had any problems with call quality lately, unlike a couple of years ago when call quality in parts of Greater L.A. was miserable. They've improved immensely since then.

Again, I don't trust this survey. It's purely subjective. All carriers are good or bad, depending on location and a myriad of other reasons.

I respect the success of AT&T in many ways, but they deserve low rankings for call quality with their obsessive use of the AMR-HR codec for their 2G users. Here in Los Angeles, sometimes it's so-so, other times it's terrible. ********** Some people claim it's gotten better in some areas, but I can attest that it also seems to have gotten worse where I live.

My parents own great AT&T Nokia branded phones. Hardware-wise, they're solid. They get coverage everywhere. As for the actual reception..... even a call that starts off decent will garble, hiss, pop and fade out every 15 seconds or so. It makes it hard for to understand eachother on either end of the call at times. Every single time my mother leaves me a voice message, it sounds really bad.

There are numerous threads all over the web with current AT&T subs experiencing the same poor voice quality so I know my experiences aren't isolated.

I've used their UMTS capable handsets in their 3G areas and the call quality is stellar. They just have to hurry up and make that service widely available like their competitors and push out more 3G handsets. I bet you if they do that, the next time around, they won't suffer so bad in similar polls as long as they don't lessen the audio quality of the current codec used over 3G.

********** I'm reasonable enough to accept that calls sent over AT&T's network using the AMR-HR codec may not sound as bad in all areas and that voice quality perception is subjective to each user and may vary with the type of mobile phone used.

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

I respect the success of AT&T in many ways, but they deserve low rankings for call quality with their obsessive use of the AMR-HR codec for their 2G users. Here in Los Angeles, sometimes it's so-so, other times it's terrible. ********** Some people claim it's gotten better in some areas, but I can attest that it also seems to have gotten worse where I live.

My parents own great AT&T Nokia branded phones. Hardware-wise, they're solid. They get coverage everywhere. As for the actual reception..... even a call that starts off decent will garble, hiss, pop and fade out every 15 seconds or so. It makes it hard for to understand eachother on either end of the call at times. Every single time my mother leaves me a voice message, it sounds really bad.

I've used their UMTS capable handsets in their 3G areas and the call quality is stellar. They just have to hurry up and make that service widely available like their competitors and push out more 3G handsets. I bet you if they do that, the next time around, they won't suffer so bad in similar polls as long as they don't lessen the audio quality of the current codec used over 3G.

********** I'm reasonable enough to accept that calls sent over AT&T's network using the AMR-HR codec may not sound as bad in all areas and that voice quality perception is subjective to each user and may vary with the type of mobile phone used.

So it's more on the GSM/Non 3G phones and network? I don't use a 3G handset at the moment. Though I will consider it in the future if, as you say, the call quality is better on the UMTS side.

I notice a little noise when calling someone, but I get it with T-Mobile too. I guess I never noticed it too much, but I know it used to be a LOT worse a few years ago, so I have heard an improvement.

[danny boi]

Originally Posted by Mobile Mike

I notice a little noise when calling someone, but I get it with T-Mobile too. I guess I never noticed it too much, but I know it used to be a LOT worse a few years ago, so I have heard an improvement.

When you get a 3G capable handset, initiate a call while in a 3G area and drive out to an area without 3G service. (Believe me, it's not that hard to do around here)

The call should handoff without dropping but you'll notice the static during the transition. After you are fully in an GSM only area, you'll notice how much clearer your call was while within the 3G area.

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by YourDaddy

When you get a 3G capable handset, initiate a call while in a 3G area and drive out to an area without 3G service. (Believe me, it's not that hard to do around here)

The call should handoff without dropping but you'll notice the static during the transition. After you are fully in an GSM only area, you'll notice how much clearer your call was while within the 3G area.

I will test it out. Thanks for the heads up.