From Mobile to Broadband – GWS determines which operator provides the best connectivity experience

• T-Mobile comes out on top for Best Mobile Experience and Verizon wins Best Broadband Experience
• GWS also looked at how well broadband providers are meeting FCC’s newly updated standards for speed, and the results show that consumers on Xfinity’s network hit the standard more than other broadband providers
• With an increasing range of bundled packages on the market, AT&T wins the US’s Best Combined Connectivity Experience for its broadband and mobile experience bundle
• This comes as over half (52%) of Americans say they look to bundle deals when assessing their next choice of broadband or mobile provider
• Awards shine a light on the US’s connectivity experience, as consumers spend more time than ever on their phones – nearly a third of their waking day

Dulles, VA October 1 2024 – Wireless network benchmarking specialist Global Wireless Solutions (GWS) has announced the results of its Nationwide Connectivity Experience Awards. Based on GWS’s OneScore ranking methodology, T-Mobile picked up the award for Best Mobile Experience, and Verizon has won Best Broadband Experience. AT&T has also been awarded the Best Combined Connectivity Experience for overall performance of its combined mobile and broadband offering.

The results, revealed in full in GWS’s 2024 US Mobile and Broadband Nationwide Connectivity Experience Report, follow six months of extensive data collection from GWS’s opt-in consumer panel of over 104,000 participants (18+), where the company collected nearly 4 billion data points and conducted over 3.4 million tests related to throughput, reliability, packet loss, and latency involving the US’s major mobile operators and ISPs. In addition to the awards, GWS also collected and analyzed app engagement and consumer sentiment data from real-life mobile users, providing further insights into the overall user experience.

1^st Award: T-Mobile wins Best Mobile Experience

 Performance Test Results and Award Ranking:

• Test winner: GWS testing found that T-Mobile provides the Best Mobile Experience nationwide by a major operator in the US (see Figure 1).
• Performance metrics measured: Reliability, latency, upload and download network available throughputs, delivered throughputs, and packet loss.
• Test highlights: T-Mobile performed the best in categories such as average network available throughputs with download speeds at nearly 170Mbps and upload at 20Mbps; nearly double the download speed of the next nearest operator (AT&T at 86Mbps).
  • Mean Download Throughput Ranking: 1^st T-Mobile, 2^nd AT&T, 3^rd Verizon
  • Mean Upload Throughput Ranking: 1^st T-Mobile, 2^nd AT&T, 3^rd Verizon
  • Task reliability across the board was consistent with all three operators above 98%.

User Insights on Mobile Experience and 5G:

• In terms of what people are doing on their phones, GWS data shows that people spend most of their time on mobile devices accessing social media, communications, and navigation apps. In fact, people spend over 50% of their time on just 10 mobile apps, with Facebook at the top, followed by YouTube, Chrome Browser, TikTok, Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Google Messages, Snapchat, and Gmail.
• Despite the prominence of online search and social media, when US consumers were surveyed and asked to choose one activity as the sole function of their phone, texting/messaging came out as the most popular choice.
• When looking at only 5G, T-Mobile also showed the best 5G mobile experience because it had the highest throughput speeds, lowest latency, and lowest packet loss.
• T-Mobile consumers were also more likely than the average American to say that it was important to have a 5G signal wherever they are – 47% versus 40% for the national average.
• Final observation on 5G: it appears that more US consumers than not are seeing a tangible impact from advanced network connectivity – when asked about their thoughts on 5G, just 19% of consumers felt they were unable to tell if their performance was better or not when on 5G.

2^nd Award: Verizon wins Best Broadband Experience

Broadband Performance Test Results and Award Ranking:

• Test winner: Based on performance test results of the US’s major nationwide ISPs, GWS found that Verizon has the Best Broadband Experience out of all ISPs tested (see Figure 2).
• Performance metrics measured: reliability, latency, upload and download network available throughputs, FCC broadband benchmark, delivered throughputs, and packet loss.
• Test highlights: When testing the connections of broadband through WiFi, Verizon led the pack when it came to its overall broadband experience with a solid performance across all metrics.
• Verizon, Xfinity, Cox, and Spectrum all had mean download throughputs above 150Mbps. On the flip side, Cox and Spectrum had much slower upload speeds (both below 40Mbps) when compared to Verizon and AT&T (both above 90Mbps).
• All ISPs tested were similar when it came to task reliability, with each scoring near or just over 99%.
• Xfinity came out on top for the percentage of time that their consumers experienced speeds over the FCC broadband benchmark (an updated baseline throughput standard announced by the FCC in March 2024 of 100Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads).
• The data shows that Xfinity consumers exceed this benchmark 41% of the time (average across all ISPs was 33%). When looking at the inverse of this statistic, it suggests that reaching this benchmark on a consistent basis may prove challenging for the broadband industry as two-thirds of the time study participants did not experience throughputs above the benchmark when tested.

User Insights on Broadband Experience:

• App engagement data collected by GWS shows that US consumers spend nearly one-third of their waking day on their smartphones, and nearly three-quarters of that time (72%) is spent on WiFi networks.
• GWS polling also found that a typical American household has between 13 and 14 different WiFi-connected devices, with examples including smartphones, tablets, laptops, game consoles, smart TVs, smart appliances, and security cameras. Looking at mobile devices specifically (i.e. smartphones and tablets), households typically have at least three connected via their WiFi/broadband network. What’s more, over half of all households say that the majority of the members in their house are using the internet simultaneously for more than 6 hours a day, showing the importance of stable and fast broadband connections for work and play.

3^rd Award: AT&T wins Best Combined Connectivity Experience

Performance Test Results and Award Rankings:

• Test winner: In the final award, GWS analyzed the performance of partner network bundles across ISP and mobile and found AT&T to have the Best Combined Connectivity Experience (Figure 3). The award is the US’s only performance measure that brings together results from across both mobile operators and ISP partners in one score.

Performance metrics measured: reliability, latency, upload and download network available throughputs, delivered throughputs, and packet loss.

• Test highlights: GWS tests found that the AT&T bundle performed the best when factoring in the combination of metrics tested. In terms of mean download throughputs, AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity easily topped 125Mbps. However, for upload AT&T had the fastest average combined speed (100Mpbs), doubling the average speeds provided by the nearest competitor (Verizon at around 50Mbps). When it came to reliability, AT&T and Verizon scored the highest; both were above 99% with T-Mobile, Spectrum, and Xfinity at or below 99%.

 User Insights: How important have bundled packages become?

• GWS consumer polling found that the desire to switch to a bundle deal is a key factor for consumers when assessing their mobile operator or broadband provider.
• Over half (52%) of US consumers are considering bundle packages and their associated perks when deciding a service plan.

Commenting on the results, Dr Paul Carter, CEO, GWS, said: “Our tests show that mobile consumers have the best experience on T-Mobile’s network not only overall but also when on 5G. And let’s not think 5G has become white noise to consumers. Our polling shows that consumers are keenly aware of 5G and its intended benefits.

But while T-Mobile demonstrated a dominant performance on the mobile side, on the broadband side we’ve uncovered an interesting, if not a more competitive race among ISP providers to provide their consumers with the best experience. Case in point, Verizon was a clear winner for broadband performance (even if we included the test results of their recent acquisition, Frontier), yet Xfinity was not far behind and did best when it came to meeting the newly updated FCC speed benchmark for broadband. In particular, our tests revealed that Xfinity met or exceeded this benchmark more than the other ISPs.

Why is the FCC benchmark important? Our data shows that households have multiple users online at any given time, and over a dozen devices connecting to WiFi throughout the day – from phones to laptops to smart TVs and appliances and much more. Meaning that shared bandwidth has become critical to a household’s broadband experience, which is why we factor the FCC benchmark into our measurements and scoring. 

Finally, our polling has revealed a strong interest by US consumers in plans from operators that provide both mobile and broadband services. In fact, a majority of US consumers now consider bundle deals when selecting a new service provider, which is why we thought it important to measure the combined experience of both mobile and broadband from those operators who provide both services. And when looking at performance for combined connectivity, there is a clear winner as AT&T comes out on top.”

For more information, view the full 2024 US Mobile and Broadband Nationwide Connectivity Experience Report here.

Methodology and Notes 

All data was collected from GWS’s opt-in consumer panel of just over 104,000 participants (18+) making up a nationally representative sample of people from around the US. This is a panel of real-life users who use their phones and tablet devices as normal throughout the day; as a result, the data GWS gathered provides the most accurate picture of the nation’s connectivity experience. Data was anonymously collected from Android smartphones/tablets during the first six months of 2024 (January 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024) and reported in aggregate for market research purposes only.

Performance Test Data: GWS conducted a series of tests in the background, measuring and analyzing mobile and ISP broadband network performance involving download and upload available throughputs, delivered throughputs, latency, reliability, and packet loss. These metrics were then used to determine mobile operator and ISP scores in relation to the three awards. In total, GWS collected nearly 4 billion data points and conducted over 3.4 million tests during the six-month test period to determine the results. Tests were run at random times, seven days a week, on both mobile and WiFi networks. For the Combined Connectivity Experience Award, scoring was based only on tests from panelists that used a mobile network and that operator’s broadband partner. For example, Spectrum Mobile test results from a Spectrum Mobile panelist were paired with Spectrum broadband test results from that panelist.

Consumer Polling Data: GWS conducted surveys, polling panelists about their network experience as it relates to their activities and expectations. All information collected was weighted to a user’s demographic representation of the US adult population (aged 18+).

OneScore Ranking: GWS’s patented ranking methodology takes into the test metrics mentioned above, and combines them into a single score that highlights the overall performance of each network. In addition, the importance of each metric is weighted based on feedback from consumers across the U.S.; feedback that focuses on those elements of network performance that matter most to everyday people.

App Engagement Data: GWS collected app engagement data from user devices to understand how, what, and when consumers connect and use their apps. Data collected includes app usage, frequency of use, and other similar metrics. Data is weighted to be a demographic representation of the US adult population (18+).

About Global Wireless Solutions, Inc. 

For most consumers today, their mobile device is their life’s remote control. As an independent wireless insights consulting firm, GWS measures every aspect of how people live, work, and play via their mobile devices – as well as how mobile network performance affects them.

Combining our market-leading network benchmarking technology and methodology with deep behavioral data, we help businesses and organizations drive innovation and deliver better customer experiences through wireless insights, anywhere in the world. Championing the needs of mobile and broadband users by understanding and testing the things that matter to them, we’ve evolved our technology and services in step with the needs of industry and consumers for 28 years.

Media Contact

Adam Hudson
Diffusion PR
gws@diffusionpr.com

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