BELLEVUE, WASH., April 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to RootMetrics®, an IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) company, the four major carriers in Denver are making key advances to improve mobile performance for consumers in Denver, particularly in the areas of network reliability and call performance. The 1st Half 2017 Denver Metro RootScore Report shows all four carriers posting impressive Network Reliability RootScores of 97.5 and above, with Verizon and AT&T ultimately sharing the award.
When it comes to call performance, consumers in Denver can rely on a good experience, with Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T sharing the award. Notably, AT&T and T-Mobile are making important gains to ensure their customers do not drop calls, reducing their rate of mobile-to-landline dropped call rate from 1.6 percent to 0.2 percent and 3.5 percent to 0.3 percent, respectively.
"Our latest round of testing in Denver suggests that investments made by the major carriers are paying off for consumers," said Annette Hamilton, RootMetrics director. "The Denver metropolitan area has had its share of mobile performance challenges in the past. We are encouraged to see improvements in network reliability and call performance, in particular, indicating that carriers are successfully addressing performance issues."
This is the twelfth time RootMetrics has tested the mobile networks in Denver 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.
When it comes to network reliability, all four carriers post solid scores of 97.5 and above, and Verizon and AT&T share the award. Meanwhile, Sprint claims the Network Speed RootScore Award outright.
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.
Sprint earns the Data Performance RootScore Award outright, marking the fourth straight testing period the carrier has won or shared the award. Furthermore, Sprint records the fastest median download speed in Denver at 19.6 Mbps, allowing subscribers to download a song in less than three seconds. Meanwhile, T-Mobile recorded the fastest median upload speed at 7.3 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.
There is a three-way tie for the Call Performance RootScore Award, with Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T sharing the top spot. All four carriers share the Text Performance RootScore Award for the second testing period in a row.
Comprehensive Testing
To evaluate the mobile experience in Denver, RootMetrics conducted tests across all hours of the day and night from March 3 through March 11. Using smartphones purchased off the shelf at carrier stores, tests were conducted indoors at 70 locations and while driving 1,574 miles. For details about RootMetrics testing, see the methodology section of the RootMetrics website.
About IHS Markit
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