The website Tech-Ex came up with a great way to get AT&T to share their dropped call statistics. They had a reader poll that showed AT&T had the highest dropped call rate with AT&T users responding with a 4.5% dropped call rate. That is compared to Verizon (1.5%), Sprint (2.4%), and T-Mobile(2.8%). Those numbers sound about right to me in New York City but I cannot speak for the rest of the country.
The best part is that AT&T responded back to Tech-Ex’s results:
Statistically valid drive test shows the AT&T network continues to deliver the nation’s fastest 3G network and near best-in-class call retainability nationwide. AT&T’s network dropped only 1.44 percent of calls nationwide, within two-tenths of 1 percent of the industry leader and a difference of less than two calls out of 1,000. Those results, from GWS, show that, on a national basis, AT&T is within just two-tenths of a percent of the industry leader in wireless call retainability. That’s a difference of just two calls in a thousand, a virtual dead-heat. The opinions compiled in the survey you mention are dramatically at odds with actual quantitative results derived from millions of calls made during extensive drive-testing of the AT&T mobile broadband network by a highly respected outside firm.
I don’t even think Steve Jobs was allowed to share AT&T’s dropped call statistics at the Antennagate press conference. Now AT&T supposedly went on the record saying they only drop 1.44% of phone calls nationwide. Maybe we can expect AT&T to provide a 1.44% credit on every customers bill due to inability to maintain a call?
What is your experience? How often do you drop calls?
via BoyGenius
Bob Roenigk Not Registered
Posted: July 22, 2010 at 11:49 AM EST
How was the GWS test structured? Did they make 1000 60 second calls per hour and count how many dropped during the 60 seconds? A logical test would one that uses a representative sampling of how actual customers use their phone. Perhaps dropped calls are more prevalent in calls lasting more than 10 minutes that travel across multiple cell towers.
ATT should not release a single stat from a report, but allow GWS to release the report and answer questions about their methodology.
Chip Not Registered
Posted: July 22, 2010 at 2:33 PM EST
Where do they get these #’s? 95% of all my calls never finish without having to call back at least once because of a dropped call.
PDM Not Registered
Posted: July 22, 2010 at 4:14 PM EST
From the thin air…. as no one can _really_ dispute them! 😉
Will ATT show dropped calls by city?