Who has better service, AT&T or Verizon?
Talking of wireless companies, two of the most recognizable ones are AT&T Internet and Verizon. They both have extensive networks and many plans available across the country, but which is the better choice in terms of network, plans, and customer support? Below is an analysis of the two giants, AT&T and Verizon.
Network Coverage and Reliability
Verizon and AT&T both have vast 4G LTE networks that reach more than 99% of the population in the United States. The speeds and the reliability can differ depending on the location while both networks are reliable in national testing. OpenSignal discovered that AT&T offered a marginally faster average national LTE download speed while Verizon had a rather slim lead in 4G availability and latency. As for the overall network performance, it seems that there is no significant difference between the two.
AT&T has directed most of its efforts to increasing network density in densely populated urban and suburban areas, which has contributed to faster connection speeds. Verizon does continue to have slightly better coverage in some rural areas of the nation but both carriers provide service to the majority of the population and have roaming arrangements. In the case of most customers, they should not be heavily influenced by the coverage to switch from one to another.
Plan Options and Value
The two carriers have several individual, family, prepaid, and unlimited data plan options available to consumers. Individual plans start at the intro level of $70 per month for a single smartphone line with unlimited talk/text and 5-10GB of shared data on either carrier. Mainly, family, prepaid, unlimited, and business packages are quite similar in terms of the cost and services provided by AT&T and Verizon at different tiers.
The total value you get reduces your usage of data, which is normally determined by each of the two parties involved. AT&T usually provides a little bit more perks for the price on similar plans, for instance, streaming addition bonuses and higher international roaming speed. However, Verizon Prepaid plans are relatively reasonable and should be commensurate with the price-conscious consumers’ expectations. The problem is that overall plan pricing has become more alike rather than different nowadays.
Customer Service Reputation
However, comparing the two companies in terms of customer service and support, Verizon company seems to have a better reputation than AT&T in the long run. However, AT&T has shown improvement over the last couple of years while Verizon has declined somewhat as per different polls. However, Verizon continues to outperform AT&T in the majority of third-party customer service surveys and ratings concerning aspects such as store experience, customer care over the phone, technical assistance, and dispute resolution concerning bills.
Nowadays, both carriers provide telephone support for their customers around the clock as well as online chat. However, face-to-face communication through retail stores or calls continues to be the basis of customer support. In these studies, Verizon is found to have higher first-call resolution rates and faster issue-resolving times than AT&T. However, AT&T has been able to close the gap with more agents on hand and improved training to address issues.
The Differences That Matter
In conclusion, AT&T and Verizon are still two of the biggest wireless providers in the United States regarding coverage, network performance, plans and pricing, and customer satisfaction. What differences do exist are minor for most customers’ needs at present. This is in terms of speed, capacities offered, the kind of support offered, and the kinds of plans offered by these two mobile giants.
Your final decision may therefore end up being dictated by differences in things like specific coverage in places you often visit, slight differences in the monthly charges, device offers, or being a brand-loyal customer. Now, present customers of either of the providers cannot expect a significantly better service or value if they switch. In the case of new customers making the choice, evaluating these less considerable factors, or even trying each network personally for a month might be the best way to choose the best selector between the two powerful nationwide wireless networks.
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