iPhone News Updated

Sprint Is Worst Network for IPhone, Study Says

Sprint Is Worst Network for IPhone, Study Says

Sprint is the least attractive network for the iPhone 4S despite its offer of unlimited data, according to a study, suggesting consumers may be better off with AT&T or Verizon.

The iPhone’s top data speed on AT&T’s network was twice as fast the top speed it reached on Verizon and Sprint, according to a study done by Apple Insider. Meanwhile, Verizon proved to offer the best overall coverage on the device, providing service in the most areas.

Sprint, however, offered the slowest data speeds and worst overall coverage “by far” in the areas tested in the study.

Analysts have long proclaimed AT&T’s iPhone as the device with fastest data, and Verizon’s with most coverage, but Sprint’s credentials for Apple’s handset has been largely unknown. Consumer reports of issues with slow data surfaced when the iPhone 4S launched on Sprint earlier this year, but the company downplayed the issue and said it found no truth to the claims.

Sprint based most of its iPhone advertising on the fact that it is the only U.S. carrier that offers the device with an unlimited data plan. That may be true, but the advantages to an AT&T or Verizon iPhone may outweigh Sprint’s unique offer.

According to studies done by Verizon, more than 90 percent of U.S. wireless customers use less than 2-gigabytes during one billing cycle, which costs users $30 a month on the network. AT&T offers a similar plan and Sprint’s unlimited data breaks down to roughly the same figure.

If Apple Insider’s study is accurate, this majority of wireless customers would see little-to-no benefit from an iPhone on Sprint’s network. These users may be better served by choosing Verizon or AT&T and taking advantage of better coverage and faster speeds with their iPhones.

Users who consume more than 2-gigabytes of data a month are likely better off with Sprint, even at the carrier’s below-average speeds, but many customers may be purchasing iPhones on the carrier for a benefit they don’t really need.

Regardless of the Insider’s study, Sprint has done a good job of getting its message of unlimited data out to consumers, along with the perception of a major benefit. Now, it’s up to Verizon and AT&T to do the same.

[Thanks: http://www.mobiledia.com]

Comments are closed.