New RootMetrics® Report for St. Louis Shows Three Mobile Networks in a Heated Race

BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new report from RootMetrics by IHS Markit, the gold standard for mobile performance benchmarking, three of the major networks are in a close race for top mobile performance in St. Louis. The 2nd Half 2018 St. Louis Metro RootScore® Report reveals that Verizon and AT&T alone share three awards, including a tie for overall performance. Meanwhile, T-Mobile earns two awards outright, and all three carriers share the top spot in text performance.

When it comes to data performance, T-Mobile takes the top spot outright; however, AT&T and Verizon record the fastest median download speeds at 42.0 Mbps and 41.6 Mbps, respectively. Verizon also records the fastest median upload speed in St. Louis at 15.8 Mbps, which would allow subscribers to upload a picture to social media in about two seconds.

"Our latest results show that the carriers are dedicated to providing a high-quality mobile experience for consumers across the St. Louis metro area," said Doug King, director of business development at RootMetrics. "With Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile neck-and-neck across most of our mobile performance categories, it's clear that the increased competition between the networks is resulting in significant improvements for smartphone users."

This is the fifteenth time RootMetrics has tested the mobile networks in St. Louis and issued findings for the metro area. RootScore Reports provide a scientific, independent, consumer-focused assessment of mobile network performance.

Mobile Performance You Can Depend on

Reliability and speed are crucial to a consistently good mobile experience. RootMetrics indicates performance in these key areas with its network reliability category, a combination of results from data, call, and text tests; and its network speed category, which examines results across testing of data transfers, downloading email, and web/app tasks. All four carriers earn excellent scores of 97.3 and above in the network reliability category, but Verizon and AT&T ultimately share this award. Meanwhile, T-Mobile takes the top spot outright for network speed, which is an award the carrier has won or shared for ten straight testing periods.

Data Performance

The data performance category reflects how well networks perform in downloading and uploading data, performing email tasks, and downloading files that approximate loading typical webpages or apps.

T-Mobile takes the Data Performance RootScore Award outright for the fourth consecutive testing period. Meanwhile, AT&T and Verizon record the fastest median download speeds at 42.0 Mbps and 41.6 Mbps, respectively, allowing subscribers to download a high-definition television show in about two minutes. Verizon alone records the fastest median upload speed at 15.8 Mbps. 

Call and Text Performance

Call and text capabilities are fundamental to a strong mobile experience. Call performance testing is based on how reliably each network can place and maintain calls, while text performance measures how reliably and quickly consumers can send and receive text messages. Verizon and AT&T share the top spot in the call performance category, while AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all share the Text Performance RootScore Award.

Comprehensive Testing
To evaluate the mobile experience in St. Louis, RootMetrics conducted tests across all hours of the day and night from July 11 through July 21. Using smartphones purchased off the shelf at carrier stores, tests were conducted indoors at 114 locations and while driving 2,264 miles. For details about RootMetrics testing, see the methodology section of the RootMetrics website.

About RootMetrics®
RootMetrics®, by IHS Markit, is mobile analytics that measures mobile network performance and offers insights into the consumer mobile experience. RootMetrics provides data on mobile network performance to help the networks improve and give consumers an end-to-end look at mobile performance. To ensure that RootMetrics testing reflects real-world mobile usage, testing is conducted based on where, when and how consumers use their smartphones most often.
© 2018 RootMetrics. All rights reserved.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Lori Niquette for RootMetrics
[email protected]
617-779-1800

SOURCE RootMetrics

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