Here is where RootMetrics made those 25,000 calls. Check out your neighborhood by clicking on map (links to RootMetrics map, which is based on your location).
After driving 1,107 miles all over the metro Denver area and making 25,602 mobile phone calls, RootMetrics has announced a : Verizon Wireless.
That’s not surprising, considering that Verizon has won or shared first place during eight of the last rounds of testing. More interesting is what happened with the other carriers: Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T.
Sprint placed second in “Overall Performance,” with a score of 94.9 percent out of 100. A year ago, Sprint came in at the bottom, scoring 81.2. And scored a woeful 44.5. Verizon, by comparison, scored 96.8 during the same period.
With all four major wireless carriers scoring above 90 percent, how bad can fourth place be? Well, says RootMetrics, if your call drops, that’s the difference.
Sprint improved in its reliability — an indicator of fewer dropped calls — but saw a huge increase in data speed. RootMetrics noted that Sprint’s median download speed increased to 10.7 Mbps, compared to 6.8 Mbps six months ago.
Of course, Sprint was pleased to hear the results.
“This improvement is the result of a multi-year network overhaul along with a continued focus on building and optimizing the network. We did what we termed a rip and replace – removing old hardware and software and replacing it with new technology. The RootMetrics results validate that our investment is paying off for our customers in Denver and along the Front Range,” said local Sprint spokesman Dave Mellin.
However, even though the four carriers all scored above 90 percent, the difference for the consumer could mean having your call drop — or not, said Bill Moore, RootMetrics’ CEO.
“Sprint had more than a 2 percent call-failure rate. You would notice those types of differences,” Moore said. “And if you can’t get on the network, speed doesn’t matter.”
AT&T, he noted, saw slower speeds during the first half of 2015 plus more dropped calls the during prior tests. That’s why it ranked fourth.
RootMetrics also gets help from the crowd with mobile apps that share data on how local networks are performing. The crowd results, however, are not part of the U.S. reports, which are based on controlled studies.
RootMetrics collects the data using real people. They drive around the cities and do things normal consumers do: text, check e-mail, stream videos and make calls during rush hour. Driving around, they test how well service switches between towers and jumps from 2G to 3G to 4G networks. They also test indoors, including at 35 locations in the Denver area.
RootMetrics even gives carriers the benefit of the doubt by testing with the latest and greatest smartphones sold by each carrier.
“We’re able to see congestion at all times of the day,” Moore said. “Peak times are during rush hour.”
The wireless carriers don’t influence the tests one iota, he said. But they do buy the reports, which is how RootMetrics makes money. (Organizations like the Federal Communications Commission also subscribes to the reports). And consumers have benefited from that.
“The net benefit for the consumer is because we’re uncloaking that information to the carriers, they’re using it to improve their networks,” Moore said.
But even as Denver’s four major wireless carriers scored high, speed lags behind other parts of the country. Here, we’re getting up to 10 Mbps. In Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh!), AT&T recorded the fastest median download and upload speed of 13.5 Mbps!
“Overall, all the networks (in Denver) are doing pretty darn good,” he said. “But there is opportunity for improved speed across the board.”
