Wireless Network Quality Study Reveals Need for Ongoing Investment in Urban Areas

Urban areas with high densities of young, heavy network users continue to pose challenges for wireless services providers, according to the second semi-annual installment of the JD Power 2016 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study. Released Aug 25, the results indicate wireless carriers need to continue investing in urban infrastructure as the use of 4G LTE smartphones grows and customers expect faster network speed. JD Power’s semi-annual studies assess wireless network quality performance along 10 problem areas, including dropped calls, unconnected calls, audio issues, and failed/late voicemails.

Results are measured in problems per 100 (PP100) connections with higher scores translating into higher quality, fewer problems and better performance. Urban residents experience the greatest number of network problems overall, according to JD Power’s study – 15 PP100 as compared to 12 PP100 on average for rural residents and 10 PP100 for those living in suburban areas. That extends across all 10 wireless network problem criteria.