Who’s Got the Best Mobile Network? Here’s the Answer

It was a tight race to the finish by Verizon and AT&T, but in the end, Verizon came out on top as the best mobile network in the U.S.

That’s the result of a national mobile performance study by RootMetrics, a Seattle-based mobile analytics firm, which rated the big four mobile networks – Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

The State of the Mobile Union report says:

It’s clearly a two-network race when comparing results at the national scale, with Verizon and AT&T head and shoulders above the other networks. … The numbers don’t lie: Verizon owns national bragging rights in our RootScore Awards, sweeping our Overall, Call, Data, and Text categories. … Verizon also finished on top in our Reliability Index, making Verizon the nation’s most reliable network in our national results.

Verizon swept the competition in all but one category – speed. AT&T edged out Verizon as the nation’s fastest network.

How did Sprint and T-Mobile fare? So-so, said the report:

At the national level, our testing showed a large gap between AT&T and Verizon and the other networks. In fact, while less than 4 points separated Verizon and AT&T in our Overall National RootScore results, the next highest network [Sprint] was a full 18 points lower.

It can be difficult, at best, to navigate the mobile performance landscape. In a recent press release, RootMetrics CEO Bill Moore said:

There’s a staggering amount of marketing noise out there, making it very easy for consumers to get lost. In such a confusing landscape, consumers are in need of clear, unbiased information. And, that’s exactly what we’re providing with our RootScore Report program. We give depth and transparency to how consumers really experience networks to help people make the most informed decisions about their mobile services.

The report includes national, state and metro-level results.

Are you happy with your mobile network? What do you think of the report ratings? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.