More Wireless Calls Inside, Says JD Power Study

The percentage of wireless calls being made and received inside buildings, such as at home and work, now exceeds those made outside, impacting the overall rate of customers experiencing a wireless call quality problem, according to Volume 2 of the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study released today.

The study measures the number of problems experienced with wireless call quality on a semi-annual basis. Call quality is based on seven customer-reported problem areas that impact overall carrier performance. They are: dropped/disconnected calls; static/interference; connection on first try; voice distortion; echoes; timely voice mail notification; and timely text message notification.

The study finds that 51 percent of all wireless call transactions are generated indoors—an increase from 47 percent in 2005. The biggest increase of wireless calls indoors has been in homes, where 29 percent of all wireless calls are placed—up from 27 percent in 2005. Conversely, the percentage of wireless call transactions made in vehicles has decreased from 31 percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2006.

More importantly, as calling patterns shift, the rate of problems with call quality is impacted, depending on where the wireless call is made or received. For example, wireless calls within a local calling area result in significantly lower problems per 100 calls (PP100) compared to calls placed or received while roaming—20 PP100 and 37 PP100, respectively. A lower PP100 score is better, as it means fewer problems experienced with call quality. Additionally, indoor wireless calls typically result in fewer problems when compared to calls placed outside as the frequency of use rises, particularly those made while driving in a car.

"It is clear that carriers need to manage their networks to reflect the specific usage patterns of their customers in order to provide the best possible call quality experience," said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates. "While wireless providers have made great strides in improving the quality of calls, there appears to be an opportunity to provide better service in those calling situations where there is a higher incidence of quality problems, such as when roaming or driving."

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in three of the six U.S. regions included in the study. Alltel and T-Mobile rank highest in two regions, while U.S. Cellular ranks highest in one region.

"With an increasingly competitive environment and an increase in the number of services used in conjunction with a cell phone, carriers that offer superior network quality will improve their likelihood of attracting new customers and will increase customer retention," said Parsons. "In fact, improving network quality is a beneficial financial incentive for wireless carriers, as customers experiencing at least one call quality problem are three times more likely to indicate they ‘definitely will’ switch carriers in the future."

Study results by region are:

Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest for a third consecutive reporting period. Verizon Wireless performs well due to fewer problems experienced with static/interference, dropped/disconnected calls, initial connections, voice distortion and echoes.

Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, outperforming the regional average in initial connections.

Southeast Region: Alltel, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless rank highest in a tie. Alltel customers report fewer problems with text mail notification, drops/disconnects and voice distortion. T-Mobile performs well due to fewer problems experienced with static and echoes. Verizon Wireless customers report fewer problems with voice distortion and drops and disconnects.

North Central Region: U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a second consecutive reporting period with fewer problems for static, initial connections and timely text message notification..

Southwest Region: Alltel ranks highest in this region for the first time, with customers reporting fewer problems with echoes and timely voice message notification.

West Region: T-Mobile ranks highest for a second consecutive reporting period in this region, performing particularly well in initial connections and have fewer dropped/disconnected calls.

Volume 2 of the 2006 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study is based on responses from 27,151 wireless users. Respondents were surveyed in March-April and June-July 2006.

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posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 2:07 PM |