Welcome to Our WirelessAdvisor Community!

You are viewing our forums as a GUEST. Please join us so you can post and view all the pictures.
Registration is easy, fast and FREE!

Join Now

NYT, WSJ and USA Today announce: Cingular has the fewest Dropped Calls

Discussion in 'Wireless News' started by bobolito, Mar 1, 2006.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Cingular Network Surpasses All Major Carriers with Fewest Dropped Calls


    Print advertising that appeared today in The Wall Street Journal,
    The New York Times and USA Today.


    Cingular has made history after the leading independent, third-party wireless research company reported for the first time that we have the fewest dropped calls among all major U.S. wireless carriers.

    Ads with this great news ran today in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and USA Today, also pointing out our network investment of over $6.6 billion and our 47,000 cell sites, the most of any network.

    This achievement demonstrates that our company has crossed an important threshold.

    In fact, said Chief Operating Officer Ralph de la Vega, this announcement is only the beginning.

    "I want you to know that this is just the first of many more leadership firsts that you'll see from us in the next year," he said. "Cingular has a solid foundation that gives us a trajectory to industry leadership by every metric that matters.

    "Cingular has the fewest dropped calls of any national wireless carrier. Fewer than T-Mobile. Fewer than Sprint. Fewer than Verizon. What can I say? It's the network."

    The Findings
    Telephia conducted drive tests last year in 290 markets across the country, covering roughly 88 percent of the U.S. population.

    The testing team placed more than 1.5 million calls and measured the number of calls dropped versus the number of calls placed. The results showed that our Cingular network is significantly better than Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon on this key measurement.

    Milestone for our Network and Customers
    This growing level of reliability, strength and reputation of Cingular's network will let us serve our customers better than ever.

    "The Network Operations team has worked tirelessly on our network integration, improvement and expansion," said Bill Hogg, Vice President - Enterprise Program Management. "It's great to see this hard work begin to pay off by providing more benefits to the customer, which will start driving Cingular to the top of our industry."

    And this information makes telling Cingular's story even more exciting.

    "Having this kind of network quality performance gives us great news to tell customers and potential customers," said Daryl Evans, Vice President - Advertising. "It's a huge step forward and a great fulfillment of our advertising tag line - 'Raising the Bar.'"
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #1 bobolito, Mar 1, 2006
  2. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Of course, I realize this is just a marketing effort. Cingular knows it's all in the marketing. If you advertise your network (a la Verizon) and start telling people why your network is best, people will believe it. Cingular knows this is the secret to Verizon's success and they are just trying to do the same. That's all!
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #2 bobolito, Mar 1, 2006
  3. ComicalMoodyDan

    ComicalMoodyDan Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2001
    Messages:
    6,302
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    Kingsport, TN
    My Phone:
    LG Volt
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Sprint
    Verizon's claim is actually true though. Verizon overall does have the best network nationwide. Cingular is riddled with inconsitent network coverage and customer service problems. Something that Verizon for the most part doesn't have to deal with.
     
    #3 ComicalMoodyDan, Mar 1, 2006
  4. Fire14

    Fire14 Easy,Cheap & Sleazy
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2002
    Messages:
    8,446
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    293
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Union County NJ
    My Phone:
    EnV
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon
    Especially with how much Verizon has been putting ad's in the papers in this area saying they are the most reliable carrier here, It is interesting how they go against each other with these ad's & think it's going to get even wilder in the months/years ahead.
     
    #4 Fire14, Mar 1, 2006
  5. AnthroMatt

    AnthroMatt Big Meanie
    Super Moderator Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    9,257
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    2
    Likes Received:
    196
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    My Phone:
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, AT&T Prepaid
    This third-party group obviously never attempted to use Cingular in Columbus, OH! ;)
     
    #5 AnthroMatt, Mar 1, 2006
  6. ComicalMoodyDan

    ComicalMoodyDan Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2001
    Messages:
    6,302
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    Kingsport, TN
    My Phone:
    LG Volt
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Sprint
    Or Tennessee! Verizon kicks Cingular's butt in this state. Verizon is so much better than Cingular in Tennessee.
     
    #6 ComicalMoodyDan, Mar 2, 2006
  7. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Despite how true it is, if Verizon didn't advertise their network they wouldn't be having as good success as they are having. I know Verizon is better than Cingular on a nationwide average, but it is not by much. There are areas where Cingular is better than Verizon. In the North East, Verizon and Cingular are pretty much neck to neck with Cingular having a clear advantage in CT. Other areas like in NJ, you can't really tell which one is better.

    As for customer service, I am surprised at how much Cingular CS has improved. They have much friendlier and educated CS reps now than a couple of years ago. I was on the phone with them about half dozen times this week requesting unlock codes, account changes, phone replacements, etc. (I manage several accounts) and all calls went very smoothly without a problem.

    I'm not trying to be a cheerleader, but we also have to recognize improvements without being biased by the negative experiences of the past.

    In addition, I think this thread proves the point that there's nothing inherent in GSM technology (as compared to other technologies) that makes it more prone to drop calls, such as hard handoffs like some people claim. The other day I was in my office phone talking to a friend that was driving in NYC with his Sprint phone and the call dropped like 4 times in a 25 minute period.

    I have a Cingular account that someone uses in NYC and sometimes I scan the bill for dropped call credits, and I haven't seen one in months and this person averages 3000 minutes/month driving around, at home, office, riding on the subway (while above ground), etc.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #7 bobolito, Mar 2, 2006
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2006
  8. ComicalMoodyDan

    ComicalMoodyDan Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2001
    Messages:
    6,302
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    Kingsport, TN
    My Phone:
    LG Volt
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Sprint
    Oh I know Verizon's advertising has helped them but advertising isn't everything. When it comes right down to it customers look past the advertising and go from personal experience. Despite what the companys say if customers find the network to be poor they are going to switch or remain unhappy with their current carrier. Now Cingular's churn rate is much higher than Verizon's. Verizon has the lowest churn rate in the industry and I think that speaks for the quality of the network and customer service they have.

    As far as Cingular being close to Verizon on a nationwide average... I'd have to highly disagree with that. Not to sound like a cheerleader myself but Verizon blows Cingular out of the water. I have friends in MA, CA, TN, VA, NC, and other areas and they all talk highly about Verizon. I've known too many people thats had issues with Cingular but none with Verizon.

    I know Verizon like any wireless company is going to have areas of weak coverage but they seem to be much more consistent nationwide than Cingular is. Cingular is either really great in a area or quite poor, there seems to be no middle ground coverage with Cingular. Cingular is improving as a company in many ways and I will give them credit for that but they still have far to go before they can match up to Verizon.
     
    #8 ComicalMoodyDan, Mar 2, 2006
  9. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    Cingular believes in Network Investment.
    VZW TV ADS creates perforception.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #9 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  10. Shizuka

    Shizuka Junior Member
    Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2005
    Messages:
    94
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    PuertoRico
    My Phone:
    Nokia
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T

    TNDan21, I guess (by what you state) that you work with a Nation Wide research company on customer perception and satisfaction.

    1) So the 54,144,000 Cingular Customer are either unhappy or planning to switch to another carrier?

    2) I also have friends in TX, MA, FL and CA and they all talk highly about Cingular.

    3) What a coincidence! I also have known too many people thats had issues with Verizon but none with Cingular.

    4) I agree with you 100% - "Verizon like any wireless company is going to have areas of weak coverage".

    5) "Cingular is either really great in a area or quite poor". - You have been carrying out many RF and Signal reception tests across the nation to say that.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #10 Shizuka, Mar 2, 2006
  11. Dogma

    Dogma Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2004
    Messages:
    364
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Minnesota
    My Phone:
    Moto Razr
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Alltel/Verizon
    I think there is more truth to Verizon having a better overall network than Cingular. Thats not to say Verizon also has problems. Much of this perception depends upon which market you're in, where you are in the country. I know for a fact that you are better off being a Verizon customer when you are on an extended network (roaming). The simple reason being is CDMA is built out much better in this country, that's especially true in rural areas. Thats not to say in certain area's a GSM carrier might be just as good or better.....but I'm talking overall in the U.S.

    When we discuss customer numbers and net subscriber additions, we really have to assume most of the people just go on what the advertisements and sales staff tell them. Not all, but many sales people "stretch" the truth when selling phone/plans. They will sell phones where coverage is marginal to nill. Your average consumer really has no idea what CDMA, GSM, cellular, and PCS is. People see the cool phones and the neat things they can do....thats about it. I doubt many consumers really research the network, where towers are, the benefits of certain technologies......they just want their phone to take pictures and play music:browani:
     
    #11 Dogma, Mar 2, 2006
  12. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    People has perception of Great VZW Coverage.
    A person with this Perception
    will be Blind and Forgiving of its Short Comings
    will think it's the Best even if it's No Better than the Rest.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #12 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  13. viewfly

    viewfly Mobile RF Advisor
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2003
    Messages:
    6,004
    Likes Received:
    860
    My Phone:
    iPhone XS Space Grey
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T; Tmobile SIM only
    Telephia (the 3rd party that conducted this tests) is a major independent firm that services all the US carriers, including Verizon. Data is Data.

    But, I think you have to read any advertisment like a lawyer...concentrate on what is specifically printed.

    The OP ad talks only about Cingular having the fewest amount of dropped calls compared to all other US carriers across 290 markets. The ad states no results about comparison coverage, C/S or anything else. It is only one metric and of course Cingular will jump on this good one. I think Bobolito pointed out how this data debunks the falsehood that 'hard' handoff result in more dropped calls.

    Verizon plays the same game. They run full page ads every day in NYC that they are #1 in NYC. The fine print at the bottom says that statement is based on only market share and churn rates...nothing about dropped calls or coverage. Verizon does not make that same claim in the Connecticut newspaper Ads. BTW, there was less than 1% difference between Cingular and Verizon's Q4 2005 churn rate. That is not a huge difference.

    Perhaps Cingular pays for the 3rd party testing, but Verizon only lists results from in-house testing on it's web page. Maybe all the carriers pay for the 3rd party testings, I don't know.

    One thing I see as for certain: Verizon's days as the coverage leader is numbered...probably less than one year in 90% of the markets. After that we will have carriers that only compete on price and features...like it is for small countries in europe where coverage is already saturated over multiple carriers.

    That's good for all of us!

    From www.telephia.com web page:

    The Telephia fleet – outfitted with specialized test equipment in a proprietary configuration – drives almost 1 million road miles per year across 400+ geographic markets, placing test calls on carrier networks. We process this raw data with in-house, proprietary software for greater accuracy and granularity, and integrate the results with ZIP-level demographics and consumer survey metrics.
     
    #13 viewfly, Mar 2, 2006
  14. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    I think both Cingular and Verizon have good and bad things. One is not far better than the other. If you look at it, Cingular may have some inconsistencies across voicemail systems, or how certain features operate in different markets, or how things are billed in different markets, but that's something that doesn't affect a particular customer. You have to compare two different customers in two different areas to possibly see an inconsistency, but this will never affect you as a single customer when traveling across markets.

    However, if we are going to talk about inconsistencies, let's remember how Verizon has serious roaming inconsistencies: One area has RTT, another area has analog and other areas have digital but not RTT, their PTT doesn't work if you are off network, the VM indicator or SMS may not work even if you have a digital signal, it all depends on which carrier you are roaming on and this will surely affect you as a single customer because your service changes as you travel. And let's not even mention roaming internationally on Verizon. I am not going to mention 3G because that would be unfair since the buildout is not done. But on Cingular, you can take roaming for granted as all features work seamlessly even overseas.

    I agree with what Viewfly is saying. They take just one metric and blow it out of proportion, and most people, as usual, make assumptions. Unfortunately, most people are more concerned about what they are told and not concerned about what they are NOT told. In this announcement, Cingular only talks about dropped calls, but they never say anything about call quality, or the success rate of dialing. By the same token, Verizon never promotes them as having more coverage in more places, they only talk about their reliability of their network, nothing else.

    Another thing, Verizon didn't start yesterday to promote their network. That's why the results are showing today. The "Can you hear me now?" guy has been on TV for years. Verizon's success didn't happen overnight. They went through a lot before they started to see the results of their success. Cingular just started. Give them a chance to finish.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #14 bobolito, Mar 2, 2006
  15. walkguru

    walkguru Wireless Guru
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2005
    Messages:
    6,084
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    28
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    My Phone:
    iphone 3gs 32black
    Wireless Provider(s):
    cingular,family plan w/4 lines
    dropped calls, whats that. i never have dropped calls, cingular has been the best for a while now.:rolleyes:




    but who cares, its what works for you, that counts.:D






    we used to play this game, my dog can whip your dog.:eek:
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #15 walkguru, Mar 2, 2006
  16. Andy

    Andy Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 25, 2003
    Messages:
    10,281
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    130
    Likes Received:
    7
    My Phone:
    HTC Thunderbolt
    Wireless Provider(s):
    VZW, Vodafone D2, Solomo, Swisscom Mobile
    I actually see more cingular ads in my area than Verizon ads, and the Cingular network here is not great at all.
     
    #16 Andy, Mar 2, 2006
  17. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    You are in a VZW Perception Mode,
    their ADS worked on you.
    Now you're saying CINGULAR IS MOST Reliable.
    Cingular Now here is More Reliable than VZW.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #17 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  18. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Jones, what are you smoking? :headscrat
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #18 bobolito, Mar 2, 2006
  19. jimbo

    jimbo Member
    Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2002
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    0
    jones has perception of Great Cingular Coverage.
    A jones with this Perception
    will be Blind and Forgiving of its Short Comings
    will think it's the Best even if it's No Better than the Rest.
     
    #19 jimbo, Mar 2, 2006
  20. Fire14

    Fire14 Easy,Cheap & Sleazy
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2002
    Messages:
    8,446
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    293
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Union County NJ
    My Phone:
    EnV
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon
    This is very true, when you go with a carrier you try it to see which works best for you & your needs, and as a lot of people have said it all depends on where in the country you are for how well a carrier works for you.

    Another thing to consider, I believe Cingular is still in the integration stage throughout the country & that has caused people problems, once that is done people can get a better feel for how there network will be.
     
    #20 Fire14, Mar 2, 2006
  21. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    JIMBO YOU HAVE VZW PERCEPTION TOO, jimbo KNOW YOU DO
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #21 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  22. ComicalMoodyDan

    ComicalMoodyDan Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2001
    Messages:
    6,302
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    Kingsport, TN
    My Phone:
    LG Volt
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Sprint
    I wish I could ban people for being stupid. If I was allowed to do so you would be the first person to go.
     
    #22 ComicalMoodyDan, Mar 2, 2006
  23. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    People have different perception.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #23 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  24. jimbo

    jimbo Member
    Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2002
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    0
    No arguments there!

    Now jones I want you to repeat after me:

    Cingular is not the best provider for everyone.
    Verizon is not the best provider for everyone.
    Sprint-Nextel is not the best provider for everyone.
    T-Mobile is not the best provider for everyone.
    Alltel is not the best provider for everyone.
    (blank) is not the best provider for everyone. (fill in the blank with the regional carrier of your choice)

    How did you do?
     
    #24 jimbo, Mar 2, 2006
  25. jones

    jones Silver Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Messages:
    3,424
    Likes Received:
    0
    Now JIMBO you SAY IT,


    Cingular is not the best provider for everyone.
    Verizon is not the best provider for everyone.
    Sprint-Nextel is not the best provider for everyone.
    T-Mobile is not the best provider for everyone.
    Alltel is not the best provider for everyone.
    (blank) is not the best provider for everyone. (fill in the blank with the regional carrier of your choice)

    How did you do?
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #25 jones, Mar 2, 2006
  26. AnthroMatt

    AnthroMatt Big Meanie
    Super Moderator Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    9,257
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    2
    Likes Received:
    196
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    My Phone:
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, AT&T Prepaid
    Whoa...everyone calm down and take a step back.
     
    #26 AnthroMatt, Mar 2, 2006
  27. bobolito

    bobolito Diamond Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2002
    Messages:
    12,735
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    50
    Likes Received:
    53
    Location:
    in front of my computer
    My Phone:
    iPhone SE
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    [​IMG]
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #27 bobolito, Mar 2, 2006
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

Copyright 1997-2023 Wireless Advisor™, LLC. All rights reserved. All registered and unregistered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
WirelessAdvisor.com is not associated by ownership or membership with any cellular, PCS or wireless service provider companies and is not meant to be an endorsement of any company or service. Some links on these pages may be paid advertising or paid affiliate programs.

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...
    Dismiss Notice