Market Force Information® Study Reveals Widening CX Gap Between Legacy Wireless Carriers and Challenger Brands

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Force, a global leader in customer experience management, has released findings from its 2026 Wireless Benchmark Study. It reveals a significant and widening gap between the customer experience delivered by the nation's largest wireless carriers and the smaller brands quietly winning consumer loyalty.

The study, which surveyed over 1,600 wireless consumers, shows that Consumer Cellular has claimed the top spot in the Overall Brand Ranking for the third consecutive report. Consumer Cellular also leads the Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) while industry giants Verizon and AT&T rank at the bottom of the field, below the 25th percentile benchmark. Verizon, the market's longtime share leader, has shed nearly four points of market share since 2023, as budget-friendly and MVNO carriers continue to attract and retain customers with stronger service experiences.

"What we're seeing is a structural disconnect between market dominance and customer satisfaction," said Sherri Weed, Chief Operating Officer at Market Force Information. "The carriers with the largest subscriber bases are not delivering the experiences that create loyalty. That's not just a CX problem, it's a business risk, and the data makes that very clear over time."

Among the study's most striking findings:

• Consumer Cellular and Cricket claimed the top spots in both overall brand ranking and the Customer Loyalty Index (CLI), outperforming some of the largest national players.
  
  
• AT&T and Verizon rank at the bottom, with CLI scores of 3.90 and 3.96 respectively, both falling below the 25th percentile of 4.08.
  
  
• 19% of wireless customers are actively considering switching and cost of service remains the #1 driver for the third consecutive year.
  
  
• Problem rates are improving industry-wide, dropping from 30% in 2023 to 22% in 2026, a meaningful positive trend amid ongoing competitive pressure.
  
  
• Samsung edged out iPhone on the Brand Competitiveness Ranking in 2026, a first in the study's history.

Despite improvements in problem rates, pricing pressure remains relentless. Cost of service (12.0%) and promotional deal-seeking (10.3%) together account for the top two reasons consumers cite for planning to switch providers, a pattern consistent across all three waves of the study. Data speed (8.5%) and call clarity (7.0%) round out the top four, underscoring that network quality remains a meaningful differentiator even as coverage gaps narrow.

The 2026 Wireless Benchmark Study is part of Market Force's ongoing panel research program measuring consumer experience, loyalty, and behavior across major industries. Data was collected across provider CX metrics, brand image, churn behavior, device satisfaction, and demographic trends, representing the third wave of the study following prior data collected in 2023 and 2025.

The complete 2026 Wireless Benchmark Study report is available now for download at:
www.marketforce.com/2026-us-wireless-benchmark-study

Access the latest results from our ongoing panel studies that rank the top brands across multiple industries:
www.marketforce.com/panel-results.

For brands looking to understand how their own customer experience compares, Market Force can provide a tailored briefing on performance gaps, competitive benchmarks and improvement opportunities:
www.marketforce.com/schedule-a-briefing

About Market Force Information

Market Force helps leading global brands improve the customer experience and operations at each location. Through an integrated services package including AI, mystery shopping, site audits, contact center, SaaS, social reviews, surveys, employee engagement and analytics Market Force drives consistent growth and profitability for its valued clients. Market Force provides solutions for restaurants, big box and specialty retail, grocery, petro-convenience, hospitality, travel, telecom, technology, energy, education, health and wellness, movie studios and theatres, fitness, financial services, gaming, CPG, alcohol and tobacco, pharma, government agencies and more. Learn more at: www.marketforce.com. Market Force is part of the MCI family of companies, alongside MCI BPO and AiCX. © 2026 Market Force Information LLC. All rights reserved.

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