Partners Praise Verizon's Robust Wireless Network As Carrier Takes Top Spot In J.D. Power Survey

For the third consecutive year, telecommunications giant Verizon swept first place in J.D. Power and Associates' Wireless Network Quality Performance Study for all six U.S. regions surveyed. Partners say the win is reflective of the effort Verizon has put into building its extensive network, which is beneficial for businesses as much as it is for consumers.

The report found that slow mobile Internet connections are the biggest culprit of customer churn. Verizon has aggressively invested in expanding its network to ensure coverage in recent years, and scored higher than every competing wireless carriers in every region.

The results of the latest J.D. Power survey will continue to help Verizon differentiate its service in the minds of businesses, said Rob Chamberlin, co-founder and chief revenue officer for DataXoom, a Berkeley, Calif.-based solution provider and Verizon partner.

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"While all the wireless carriers have their own individual strengths, Verizon has done a particularly good job of linking its brand to a top-notch wireless network," Chamberlin said. "Verizon's recent awards for both its network speed and coverage [have] been quite helpful to us as we compete for new business customers."

Consumer satisfaction firm J.D. Power and Associates asked more than 41,000 wireless subscribers across the U.S. about their last 10 calls, messages, emails and Web connections on their mobile devices between July and December 2015.

The 2015 wireless network study accounted for voice-related issues, such as dropped or disconnected calls, calls with audio issues, calls going straight to voicemail, and failed or late voicemail notifications. The survey also considered a range of text message issues and failures, as well as slow or failed Web and email connections.

The survey covered six regions of the U.S., and included responses from 48 states and Washington, D.C., according to J.D. Power and Associates.

In 2015, the carrier expanded its 4G LTE network to provide faster wireless speeds to more than 450 U.S. markets. Verizon is also in the process of testing 5G in the U.S., according to the carrier.

For solution providers managing wireless and mobility solutions for their end customers, having a carrier with a robust, reliable network that isn't hindered by congestion is critical in keeping clients connected anytime, anywhere, said Natasha Royer Coons, managing director of TeraNova Consulting Group, a Verizon partner.

San Diego-based TeraNova is a carrier-agnostic provider that specializes in telecom expense and managed services for wireless solutions.

"We have consistently recommended VZW whenever possible to reduce the possibility of service issues," Coons said. "We can procure and manage any carrier, [but] we have found that over the last five to six years, Verizon has truly pulled out ahead of the others in performance."

Network engineer Marco Anduja said Verizon has always proven effective in meeting critical communications needs. Anduja works with TeraNova to help design, test and deploy wireless networks, and also serves as managing partner for Associates Wireless LLC, a communications consulting firm based in Plantation, Fla.

"Business continuity and the need to get business done anytime and anyplace is critical to every organization. Because of this, we rely heavily on the carrier to provide optimal service," Anduja said.

Basking Ridge, N.J.-based Verizon told CRN it attributes its latest recognition from J.D. Power to its laser focus on the investments it has made to its network for at least the past 15 years. Verizon has aggressively deployed new technologies, invested in training for its internal staff of experts, and continually tests its network performance, which is a win for consumers and its channel partners, according to a spokesperson for the carrier.

"As solutions providers, we applaud the carriers such as Verizon who invest heavily in their networks, but also engineer with brilliance to deliver strong, clean signal without congestion," TeraNova's Coons said. "This allows us to build innovative solutions with high uptime for our clients,"

Verizon's competitors battled it out in second place. Dallas-based carrier AT&T scored second place in the Mid-Atlantic region and in the Southwest. Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile placed second in the Northeast, and Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint took home second place wins in the West and in the Southeast. AT&T and Sprint tied for second place in the North Central region.