- Verizon earns outright awards in five of the six categories at
the national level
- Verizon, AT&T and Sprint share award at the national level
for text performance
- AT&T is the only carrier to make gains in every category at
the state level
- T-Mobile increases total awards for network speed at the metro
level
RootMetrics®, the independent source for real-world mobile
performance comparison, today announced the release of its first-
half 2017 review of Mobile Network Performance in the US report,
the most comprehensive summary of mobile network performance across
the entirety of the country as well as at the state and metro
levels. This is the eighth time RootMetrics has issued nationwide
results, providing mobile users with an independent and scientific
look at network performance where they live, work and
play.
This new report provides the most comprehensive view of mobile
network performance available anywhere, across three complementary
levels: the entire United States, each of the 50 states, and the
125 largest metropolitan areas in the country. During the first
half of 2017, RootMetrics scouters drove 276,607 miles, more than
the distance from the earth to the moon; visited 8,847 indoor
locations; and conducted nearly 4.7 million tests in order to
statistically reflect performance across 100 percent of the US
population. All tests were conducted using unmodified off-the-shelf
phones purchased from carrier stores.
Performance at the national level
Verizon continued to lead in mobile network performance at the
national level during the first half of 2017. The carrier captured
RootScore Awards outright in five of six categories measured,
including the coveted national award for overall mobile performance
for the eighth consecutive time. AT&T and Sprint made
improvements during this round of testing, sharing the RootScore
Award for text performance with Verizon. For AT&T, this is the
first time the carrier has earned an award at the national level
since the second half of 2015. In Sprint’s case, this is its
first-ever national award since testing began.
“It’s no longer about whether you’re using a smartphone, but how
you’re using it. These devices have become a lifeline and we expect
strong reliability and high performance regardless of where we are
or what we’re doing,” said Annette Hamilton, RootMetrics director.
“At RootMetrics, we’re on a mission to provide unbiased, scientific
information about mobile performance that can help consumers make
the smart decisions based on how and where they use their mobile
devices. It’s not enough just to get a signal anymore; consumer
demand has evolved, becoming more heavily focused on data
reliability and speeds as we shift from primarily making calls and
sending texts to uploading videos to social media, streaming movies
and downloading large amounts of data for business. As a result,
competition between the networks continues to intensify, with the
carriers expanding their LTE footprints and implementing new
technologies to provide the best possible mobile experience for
consumers across the country.”
Overall performance scoring is broken down in two ways. First,
RootMetrics offers two holistic categories that give consumers a
clear view of each network’s performance in the key areas of
Network Reliability and Network Speed. Network Reliability is based
on how reliably calls could be made and texts delivered, as well as
how often RootMetrics was able to make a data network connection
and then stay connected during data testing. Network Speed factors
in how quickly a network can download and upload files, send email
and perform typical web and app-related tasks.
Scoring is further broken down into call, data and text
RootScores. Looking at all RootScore categories together offers the
most comprehensive look at a typical mobile experience; since not
everyone uses their phones in the same way, RootMetrics also offers
the ability for consumers to slice the data in the way that helps
them most.
You can find a full breakdown of mobile network performance
during the first half of 2017 at the national level here.
State performance summarized
At the state level in the first half of 2017, Verizon took
home the most RootScore Awards at 268, outright or shared, across
all six categories tested. This was a slight decline from the 278
awards earned during the last round of testing. Meanwhile, AT&T
was the only carrier to increase the number of awards it won or
shared in every category at the state level, with a jump from 92
awards during the last round of testing to 140 awards this
round.
Sprint showed a slight decline in awards at the state level,
earning 31 awards during this round of testing, three fewer than
the carrier won in the previous report. T-Mobile showed
improvements at the state level, moving from 13 awards during the
last testing period to a total of 21 for the first half of 2017.
This gain in awards is mostly in the Network Speed category, where
they improved by nine awards, from four last half to 13 this
half.
You can find a full breakdown of mobile network performance
during the first half of 2017 at the state level here.
Metro performance summarized
Mobile performance at the metro level often provides the
strongest gauge of a network for consumers. According to this
latest testing, Verizon earned by far the most metro-level
RootScore Awards at 617 total across all six categories tested,
although down somewhat from the 658 awards during the second half
of 2016. Meanwhile, AT&T increased the number of awards earned
from 372 during the last testing period to 396 for the first half
of 2017. AT&T was also the only carrier to earn excellent
reliability performance for getting connected and staying connected
in all 125 metro markets tested.
T-Mobile won or shared 271 awards across all six categories
during this latest round of testing, which is a slight increase of
one award since the second half of 2016. However, T-Mobile’s median
download speeds at the metro level continue to improve with the
carrier recording 20 Mbps or faster in 76 markets during this round
of testing compared to 52 last half. Sprint showed a slight decline
at the metro level, from previously earning 246 total awards to now
winning 211 across all six categories. When it came to reliability,
Sprint earned the mark of excellence for getting connected in 106
markets and staying connected in 114 markets.
You can find a full breakdown of mobile network performance
during the first half of 2017 at the metro level here.
For details on the RootMetrics testing methodology, visit:
http://www.rootmetrics.com/en-US/methodology.
About RootMetrics®
RootMetrics®, an IHS Markit company, is an independent mobile
analytics firm that measures mobile network performance and offers
insights into the consumer mobile experience. RootMetrics provides
data on mobile network performance to help the networks improve and
give consumers an end-to-end look at mobile performance. To ensure
that RootMetrics testing reflects real-world mobile usage, testing
is conducted based on where, when and how consumers use their
smartphones most often.
About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)
IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical
information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and
markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers
next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers
in business, finance and government, improving their operational
efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed,
confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business
and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune
Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.
Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to
sustainable, profitable growth.
IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. All
other company and product names may be trademarks of their
respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights
reserved.
###
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82cb164d-aec2-4633-8cfb-96002eb144c2
Lori Niquette
RootMetrics
617-779-1800
rootmetrics@shiftcomm.com
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