Verizon, AT&T or Sprint: Which is best cell phone, smartphone carrier?

Are you happy with your cell phone service? Whether you have a basic phone or the newest smartphone, dropped calls and a weak signal from the tower are very frustrating.

So you may be interested in a new report comparing the signals and speed of the top carriers.

Smartphones Everywhere

More and more people are on smartphones these days. We found Androids and iPhones everywhere. We looked on Cincinnati's Fountain Square at noontime, and across the river on Mainstrasse in Covington, Ky.

But which carrier is best? Some swear by Verizon Wireless.
"I like Verizon. I've been a customer of them for eight years or so," Meg Counts said.
     
Others prefer Sprint. "I really love Sprint," said Judy Tellman.

Some folks like AT&T. "I have AT&T, and really it's what I've always had," James McCloud said.

Or is someone else best? "I've been with T-Mobile for quite a while and it's pretty good service for me and my family," Joanne Christian said.

New Study Compares Signals
     
CNN and Money Magazine have just released an extensive comparison of carriers, after analyzing network data gathered from iPhone users in major metropolitan areas.

    --It found AT&T really has the fastest network. But it also called AT&T the most "inconsistent," with speeds varying wildly.

    --It found that Verizon tends to have the strongest signal strength, possibly due to having the most towers. It's speed came in second place, although CNN/Money claims web pages load as fast as AT&T's network in many areas.
     
     --Sprint's network was slowest overall, according to CNN/Money, with the slowest loading web pages as well.

And the Winners Are...

The final champ?

     --AT&T was named the clear speed winner.
     --But Verizon was rated the top overall performer.

Karen Davidson said she wasn't surprised. "I'm pretty happy with Verizon," Davidson said. "Verizon seems to be doing a good job."

Cincinnati Bell Wireless and T-Mobile were not rated, because they don't have the iPhone, which is how the data was collected.

Sprint, meantime, responded to its third place finish saying it's "deploying a brand new network, and by next year will have better coverage, call quality, and speeds."