The best? Really?
Thursday, Oct 17, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Frankly, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather when I read the Crain’s story about how AT&T had been rated the best mobile phone carrier in Chicago…
For the first time, AT&T finished first in calls, web surfing and text messaging on wireless phones, according to Root Metrics, which routinely tests networks in cities nationwide. AT&T dethroned Verizon Wireless, which previously had the best overall score.
AT&T’s edge is network speed more than quality. AT&T and Verizon were virtually tied in reliability.
Root Metrics, based in Bellevue, Wash., said AT&T’s download speed is 19.1 megabits per second, compared with 13.5 megabits for runner-up Verizon. […]
AT&T tied for the lowest rate of dropped calls, at 0.2 percent. […]
For AT&T, the study helps validate the billions the Dallas-based company spent in Illinois in recent years. It spent $2.6 billion on wired and wireless networks in Illinois between 2010 and 2012, followed by another $625 million in the first half of 2013. Although AT&T didn’t break out wireless spending, it has been adding infill networks aggressively in high-demand areas, such as Navy Pier, to take loads off the overall network.
* From the actual study…
With T-Mobile’s recent LTE launch, all four major carriers now offer LTE service
in Chicago.
AT&T’s average download speed increased from 17.8 Mbps to 19.1 Mbps since May testing, and its average
upload speed rose from 8.4 Mbps to 9.5 Mbps.
AT&T won the Combined and Data RootScore Awards outright for
the first time in Chicago. AT&T also won the Text RootScore Award.
Sprint’s average download speed decreased from 8.0 Mbps to 5.3 Mbps since May, and its
average upload speed fell from 5.1 Mbps to 4.0 Mbps.
T-Mobile’s average download speed increased from 8.6 Mbps to 9.6 Mbps, and its average upload speed jumped from 1.8 Mbps to 3.9 Mbps.
Verizon’s average download speed decreased from 14.8 Mbps to 13.5 Mbps, and its average upload speed fell from 9.3 Mbps to 6.6 Mbps.
Your thoughts?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 10:40 am:
AT&T cellular service has some sort of blind spot on Lake Street in downtown Oak Park. Either the service won’t work at times or it routinely drops calls.
That’s not exactly the Gobi Desert.
- Jaded - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 10:41 am:
Probably because they spend all their money on the big city markets, and leave the rest of us with spotty, crappy, service.
- RonOglesby - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 10:45 am:
I like it. Been using it for years. Some areas in NYC or SanFran were terrible for a while when a new phone came out and people switched carriers, but its been fast and steady for me.
- John - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 10:51 am:
I have Sprint and I live in Granite City. The service is pretty bad. If I’m inside, there’s no way I’m taking a phone call. I hardly ever get 3G too.
- titan - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:02 am:
I have Verizon in the 1990s and early 2000s.
I’ve had AT&T since the mid 2000s.
I didn’t notice a defference when I switched. Neither was/has been perfect, but both we similarly OK/good as to the service I’ve gotten.
- Amuzing Myself - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:09 am:
Not in Chicago consistently enough to say, but statewide, Verizon is still best in the most places. Friends all over IL with AT&T complain of dropped calls or no service.
- Small Town Liberal - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:11 am:
In my experience, AT&T has the best speed and coverage of carriers in Illinois. That’s less something they should be proud of and more something all carriers should be ashamed of.
This is precisely why they can’t say wireless is ready to replace rural phone service currently. It should be the goal, but the infrastructure isn’t there yet.
- Excessively Rabid - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:19 am:
I have had Verizon and TMobile, then AT&T for close to a decade. I don’t really have any complaints about AT&T. My complaints are about the industry in general: exorbitant data plan costs, high taxes that one time I added up to about 22%, and WTH do we have to pay a universal access fee on cell phone service? Leaving the nutjobs’ rants about Obamaphones aside, really what is this for? I say it’s a crock and I’m against it.
- Chris - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:25 am:
“but statewide”
“wireless is [not] ready to replace rural phone service”
The ’study’ covered “The Chicago Urbanized Area as Defined by the U.S. Census”. It says *nothing* about the rest of the state.
Wanna use the result to bash ATT for ignoring the rest of the state? Sure, feel free. Wanna question the result of the survey for the area covered by the survey? Consider yourself nuts.
*For now* ATT has the ‘best’ mobile network *IN the CHICAGO Urbanized Area*. That’s a *fact*.
- Stuff happens - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:37 am:
Imagine how much worse all of the other carriers were. They can all suck and still have one suck slightly less.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 11:58 am:
“I have Sprint, and I find I have go” (Internet drops, sends post, no coverage, throws phone, phone starts playing music.)
Actually have Sprint, there are dead spots in Oswego area, like on Rt. 34 heading East, phone might as well be a coaster for my coffee.
Sprint is spotty in the Loop, and North of the Loop for no particular reason, and texts can come an hour late if I am in the City, not too often, but often to tell others, “Please call, I can’t guarantee I will get the text immediately. I have Sprint.”
- Small Town Liberal - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 12:19 pm:
Chris, you’re right, read too quickly.
- haverford - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 1:23 pm:
It is nearly criminal for Sprint to charge for the ’service’ they provide.
Though it does keep you on your toes. The other day I couldn’t connect a three-way call when I started with person A. After three failed attempts, tried by connecting first with person B - and that worked.
You know, it was just a client, so no big.
- Rufus - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 1:38 pm:
I’m in Springfield and use Verizon for web surfing in a building where I work. I get 3 bars, a person next to me has ATT gets only 1bar. In Springfield, I keep hearing that Verizon beats ATT consistently.
- MrJM - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 2:01 pm:
On a related note: Who won the Chicago area’s “Tallest Dwarf” competition?
– MrJM
- Been There - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 3:24 pm:
The main spot I had problems with AT&T was at a Sox game. Couldn’t get calls, barely got any text and forget about the web. But then last year it got a little better and this year no problems at all.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 3:54 pm:
I had the same reaction Rich. I had AT&T for years and it SUCKED. Verizon is way better. Not sure what happened with the data this year.
- Just The Way It Is One - Thursday, Oct 17, 13 @ 7:22 pm:
AT&T is just too big and despite their power in the Industry still flawed in many ways. All of this wireless competition is, as such, quite healthy for them and for ALL Americans, no matter who’s the fastest and claims to be the most reliable…!