What is the single most important aspect of your mobile network experience? If your answer is speed, you might be surprised to find out today that you're in the minority. According to an extensive recent survey conducted by Opensignal, only 6.5 percent of wireless carrier "evaluators" in the US value speeds above all else.
So what's more important than speed? A lot of things, actually, from cost (of course) to reliability, network quality, coverage, and customer services. While some of those characteristics sound awfully vague (like "quality") or highly subjective (customer services), Opensignal is here today to judge the "reliability experience" provided by T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T to their subscribers across the nation in the most objective and scientific way possible.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, all three operators receive high overall marks based on data collected between December 1, 2023 and February 28, 2024, confirming the findings of a previous Opensignal report that ranked the US in the top 12 global markets from this key reliability standpoint.
Of course, some US carriers are generally more reliable than others, and while AT&T can't be too upset with earning a respectable 875 points out of a maximum of 1,000, T-Mobile and Verizon ultimately came out on top with 887 and 886 scores respectively.
That's the thinnest of margins, but it does make Magenta the heavyweight national champion of... another thing besides 5G speed, speeds in general, and 5G availability. Regionally speaking, T-Mobile triumphs in the Southwest and Southeast while statistically sharing the gold medal with Verizon in the West and narrowly losing to Big Red in the Midwest and Northeast.
The Southwest is the only part of the country where AT&T doesn't finish dead last among the top three US carriers as far as overall network reliability goes, adding to the already lengthy list of reasons why you should probably consider switching from the once-mighty Ma Bell.
If you're unclear about exactly what the reliability indicator is supposed to measure, Opensignal defines it as the degree of consistency at which users can "connect and maintain a connection to their mobile network to successfully carry out typical activities such as emailing, video streaming, and using navigation applications without interruption."
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Without strong reliability, high speeds really don't mean much, as they can't translate to essential activities like web browsing and streaming, so the next time you look at one of those comprehensive network experience reports, you might want to pay particular attention to this metric. Or you can stop following these comparisons and just assume that T-Mobile is number one everywhere and in (almost) every aspect.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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