There are a number of excellent telecom carriers to choose from and, according to annual carrier ratings of Consumer Reports, AT&T has struck out as the worst of the roundup for the third year in a row while the best of the roundup was decidedly Consumer Cellular. The survey conducted by Consumer Reports evaluated and rated 63,253 mobile subscribers based on voice, data service quality, and customer services across the wireless space and their final roundup consisted of Consumer Cellular, US Cellular, Credo Mobiles, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T in order of their position in the ratings.
Amongst the top three carriers, Consumer Cellular and Credo Mobiles are actually mobile virtual network operators that rely on other carriers’ networks to deliver their service. Interestingly enough, the first-ranking carrier Consumer Cellular relies on the last-ranking carrier AT&T, while the third from the top carrier, Credo Mobiles, relies on the third from the bottom carrier, Sprint. Verizon Wireless, one of the top carriers across the industry, earned its ratings position with the positive feedback given for its voice and data quality although it only barely failed to make the cut to the top three.
AT&T, while hitting the bottom of the roundup, was given an excellent review for its 4G LTE network, which trumped even top-ranked Verizon Wireless. The carrier aspires to provide the nation’s largest 4G network while providing the fastest iPhone downloads and general online chatting applications. The download speeds for AT&T’s 4G network have gone as high as 9.12mbps, topping downloading speeds of several other carriers.
AT&T may not be on the top of Consumer Reports’ roundup, but it is still important to note that most major manufacturers still spring for either AT&T or Verizon when it comes to launching their latest offerings. Aside from that, AT&T offers a wide-range of attractive pre-paid options to its customers and can take some small comfort in the fact that Consumer Cellular received a flattering review for its no-contract standard service in Consumer Reports’ ranking of carriers that offer monthly billing, devoid of any involvement of a contract. Customers should remind themselves that just because AT&T isn’t the best rated carrier out there, it still offers unmatched service in some segments.
