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J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Call Quality Problems Experienced With Wireless Services Continue to Decline

Posted on: Thursday, 6 September 2007, 09:10 CDT

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of reported wireless call quality problems has declined for a third consecutive reporting period, reaching the lowest levels in the history of the study, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study(SM)-Volume 2 released today.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

Now in its fifth year, the semi-annual study measures wireless call quality based on seven customer-reported problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voice mail notification; and no immediate text message notification.

The study finds that the number of customer-reported call quality problems is 15 problems per 100 (PP100) calls, down 29 percent from the same interviewing period in 2006 (21 PP100). A lower PP100 score is better, as it means fewer problems experienced with call quality. In particular, considerable improvements have been made with regard to the number of dropped calls, initial disconnects and interference/static. The number of calls with initial disconnects has decreased by 40 percent and the number of dropped calls has decreased by 33 percent compared with the previous reporting period in 2007 (released in March).

"Wireless providers have clearly made great strides in improving call quality," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "With an increasingly competitive environment and a jump in the number of services used in conjunction with cell phones, carriers that offer superior network quality are more likely to attract new customers and increase customer retention. In fact, improving network quality is a beneficial financial incentive for wireless carriers, as customers experiencing at least one call quality problem are almost four times more likely to switch carriers in the future."

The study also finds that wireless customers who use hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth or wired headsets, experience more problems than customers who do not use hands-free devices. On average, hands-free users experience 18 PP100, while non-hands-free users report only 14 PP100.

"One reason for this rating difference is the fact that owners of hands-free devices tend to make calls more often than do those who don't use these devices, and high-volume callers are more likely to experience call quality problems in general," said Parsons. "As more wireless subscribers begin using hands-free devices for convenience, the rate of call quality problems may increase as the probability rises for quality interference between the headset and cell phone."

Verizon Wireless performs particularly well in the study, ranking highest in four of the six U.S. regions examined, including ranking highest in a tie with Alltel in the Southeast region. U.S. Cellular also ranks highest in the North Central region, while AT&T ranks highest for the first time in the Southwest area. Study results by region are:

Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the region, with fewer problems reported than the regional average with initial connections, echoes and voice distortion.

Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest for a sixth consecutive time, with fewer interference/static and echo problems experienced than the regional average.

Southeast Region: Alltel and Verizon Wireless rank highest in a tie. Alltel customers report fewer problems than the regional average in the areas of dropped calls, interference/static and echoes. Verizon Wireless customers report particularly low incidences of interference/static issues.

North Central Region: U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a fourth consecutive time with fewer problems in initial connection, dropped calls and voice distortion than the regional average.

Southwest Region: AT&T ranks highest in the region for the first time, with fewer problems with initial connection issues than the regional average.

West Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, with customers reporting fewer problems than the regional average in all five voice-related quality issues. Verizon Wireless performs particularly well in initial connections.

The 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study-Volume 2 is based on responses from 25,025 wireless users. The results are from the two most recent reporting waves, March through April and June through July 2007. For more information on customer satisfaction with wireless service, wireless retail sales, cell phone handsets, customer care, prepaid wireless service and business wireless service, please visit JDPower.com.

Call Quality Index Rankings

*Regional average index score represents only major carriers included in the region segment.

Northeast Region Verizon Wireless 112 *Northeast Region Average 107 AT&T 106 Sprint Nextel 103 T-Mobile 99

Included in the Northeast Region are: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Mid-Atlantic Region Verizon Wireless 111 T-Mobile 109 *Mid-Atlantic Region Average 108 Sprint Nextel 105 AT&T 104

Included in the Mid-Atlantic Region are: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Southeast Region Alltel 109 Verizon Wireless 109 T-Mobile 106 Sprint Nextel 105 *Southeast Region Average 105 AT&T 102

Included in the Southeast Region are: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

North Central Region U.S. Cellular 114 Verizon Wireless 110 AT&T 108 *North Central Region Average 107 T-Mobile 106 Alltel 105 Sprint Nextel 103

Included in the North Central Region are: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Southwest Region AT&T 107 T-Mobile 105 *Southwest Region Average 105 Alltel 103 Sprint Nextel 103 Verizon Wireless 103

Included in the Southwest Region are: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

West Region Verizon Wireless 111 Qwest 109 Sprint Nextel 107 *West Region Average 105 T-Mobile 102 Alltel 100 AT&T 100

Included in the West Region are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on cell phone ratings, car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Media Relations Contacts: Jeff Perlman John Tews Brandware Public Relations J.D. Power and Associates 775 Lakefield Road 5435 Corporate Drive, Suite 300 Westlake Village, Calif. 91361 Troy, Mich. 48098 (805) 494-5113 (248) 312-4119 jperlman@brandwaregroup.com john.tews@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-aAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

J.D. Power and Associates

CONTACT: Jeff Perlman of Brandware Public Relations, +1-805-494-5113,jperlman@brandwaregroup.com; or John Tews of J.D. Power and Associates,+1-248-312-4119, john.tews@jdpa.com

Web site: http://www.jdpower.com/http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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