Verizon won the J.D. Power award for Wireless Network Quality for the 32nd time in a row, more than any other provider.
According to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study – Volume 1, Verizon had the fewest call, messaging, and data problems reported by customers. The carrier also ranked first for Network Quality across all six regions in the country.
The carrier maintains its position as the most winning brand of J.D. Power Awards for Network Quality, more than any provider in the history of the study.
“Our Test Force is obsessed with providing our best, most reliable, highest performing, and secure wireless service to our customers and being recognized by J.D. Power – the ‘voice of the customer’ – means our customers value the work we do,” said Joe Russo, executive vice president of global networks and technology at Verizon. “This award is motivation to keep making the best network experience even better for our customers.”
A huge factor helping to determine which carrier to go with is service and coverage, so these accolades are important toward building a reputation for network superiority. Verizon has long touted itself as the nation’s best network, but the last few years have seen T-Mobile usurp its role thanks to a rapid upgrade of its network.
Not helping are the conflicting conclusions from different parties. The J.D. Power win clashes with another study by Opensignal, which ranked T-Mobile as the best overall network. The Uncarrier ranked first for 5G download speeds, 5G coverage, and 5G availability and quality. Although T-Mobile is more budget-friendly with plans that start at $25 per line, Verizon has the best 4G LTE coverage, which covers 70% of the U.S., which equals around 327 million people. Another study from Ookla’s Speedtest also has T-Mobile ranked first in wireless speed.
Part of the differences come from methodology. Ookla, for instance, pulls its data from users who run its Speedtest app on their phones.
J.D. Power, a consumer insight group, conducted a national survey between July and December of last year, looking at the responses of more than 26,725 wireless customers. The study recognizes the highest-ranking companies with results based on the customer experience of each company evaluated. Verizon ranked high with customers for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security, and control.
“Younger generations, particularly Gen Z, are very demanding of their wireless networks,” said Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media, and telecom at J.D. Power. “Not only do they heavily rely on their devices, but they also stream and game at higher rates than older generations and have less tolerance for data-related issues.”