RootMetrics Report: Three-way Tie in Las Vegas for Top-Performing Mobile Network between Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile; T-Mobile Shares the Title for First Time
Bellevue, Wash. (PRWEB) May 20, 2014 -- Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile now share recognition as the top-performing mobile networks in Las Vegas. This marks a milestone for T-Mobile, as AT&T and Verizon have tied for first in the overall performance category in the past four tests of the market. That’s according to independent mobile analytics firm RootMetrics®, which measures mobile performance of the four national carriers with tests designed to replicate real-world consumer behavior.
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile tied in the overall performance category, which includes results across data, call, and text testing. A good Overall RootScore means strong overall coverage and a good consumer experience.
The final overall performance RootScore rankings for Las Vegas:
1 – Verizon (95.4)
1 – AT&T (95.3)
1 – T-Mobile (94.9)
4 – Sprint (81.7)
RootMetrics offers two indices within RootScore Reports that give consumers a clear view of each network’s performance in the key areas of network reliability and speed. The Reliability Index is based on a combination of results from data, call and text tests, while the Speed Index includes data and text results. Looking at the network reliability and speed indices in conjunction with Overall RootScores offers the most comprehensive look at a typical mobile experience in Las Vegas.
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile shared the highest rank in network reliability, while AT&T and T-Mobile shared the top rank in network speed.
Reliability Index rankings:
1 – Verizon (98.2)
1 – AT&T (97.8)
1 – T-Mobile (97.3)
4 – Sprint (87.1)
Speed Index rankings:
1 – AT&T (87.8)
1 – T-Mobile (87.3)
3 – Verizon (86.4)
4 – Sprint (69.9)
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon win big in Las Vegas
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon shared RootScore Awards for Overall and Call performance in Las Vegas. This is in contrast to results found in September, when AT&T and Verizon shared the Overall and Call RootScore Awards.
Data performance was on the rise, with all four networks’ Data RootScores showing improvement since September testing. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon continued to deliver impressive download speeds to residents of Las Vegas, but T-Mobile’s lightning-fast median upload speed of 13.4 Mbps was notably faster than that of any other network.
And while Sprint has yet to officially deploy LTE service in Las Vegas, RootMetrics measured Sprint LTE during a significant portion of its tests, suggesting a full-scale LTE rollout could be coming soon.
"It’s an interesting story in Las Vegas, as we’re seeing all of the networks improve in the data category overall,” said Bill Moore, RootMetrics CEO. “Whenever that happens, it’s obviously good news for consumers.”
Median download and upload speeds by network
AT&T: 10.3 Mbps download/ 4.7 Mbps upload
T-Mobile: 10.6 Mbps download/13.4 Mbps upload
Verizon: 9.7 Mbps download/5.2 Mbps upload
Sprint: 2.6 Mbps download/ 2.6 Mbps upload
Data speeds affect how quickly consumers can perform various tasks online. For example, in an ideal situation, uploading medium-sized pictures (1 MB) to Facebook or other online albums typically takes 25 seconds to 45 seconds on average at speeds below 3.0 Mbps. At speeds above 6.0 Mbps, uploading a similar picture generally takes less than 1 second.
Making the call
Making calls on three of the four networks in Las Vegas should be a smooth experience. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile tied in this category, all registering statistically comparable results (96.3, 95.4, 95.4, respectively). Sprint came in a distant fourth place with a score of 77.3.
Text me
In Las Vegas, AT&T provided the fastest texting experience, but with Text RootScores above 94 for all four networks, text service was strong across the board.
More than 18,400 tests in Las Vegas
To evaluate the mobile experience in Las Vegas, RootMetrics conducted, 18,487 call, data, and text tests on the networks of AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon during all hours of the day and night from February 26–March 3, 2014. The tests were conducted using the RootMetrics RootScout app running on Android-based, off-the-shelf consumer smartphones purchased from carrier stores. Tests were conducted both indoors (at 27 locations) and outdoors during drive tests (covering 801 miles). Mobile performance varies depending on where people live, work, or otherwise spend time. Because a variety of factors can influence performance, examples that show what data speeds mean while performing various mobile activities are a general look at data speeds for illustrative purposes and aren’t specific to Las Vegas. For details about the results, see the methodology section of the online report.
About RootMetrics™
RootMetrics®, based in Bellevue, WA, is an independent mobile analytics firm that offers insights into the consumer mobile experience. With its downloadable CoverageMap app for Android or iOS, RootScore Reports for 125 U.S. markets, and an online CoverageMap, RootMetrics provides data on network performance to the public to help people make more informed mobile decisions. To ensure that RootMetrics testing reflects real-world mobile usage, testing is conducted based on where, when, and how consumers use their devices most often.
Ann Marie Ricard, Rootmetrics, +1 (206) 683-0552, [email protected]
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