U.S. Wireless carriers get graded, ranked for their Q1 2010 performance

By on May 14, 2010 at 4:01 AM
General May 14, 2010

US-carriers-Q1-2010-metrics

Strategy Analytics released its Q1 2010 metrics report for the U.S. Wireless carriers and it paints an interesting picture of the mobile landscape stateside. As expected, Verizon and AT&T led the pack with 92.8 million and 86.9 million customers, but were pretty much neck and neck where it really counts with churn, service revenue, data percentage of service revenue and ARPU being fairly similar when scaled. T-Mobile and Sprint showed a slight decline with each losing tens of thousands customers and reporting churns more than double that of Verizon and AT&T. Despite losing more customers than T-Mobile, Sprint still had the upper hand in service revenue, data percentage of service revenue and ARPU. Those were the figures for the big and medium players, so hit the jump to see how the little guys did.

US Cellular led the way with the third lowest churn rate (1.91%) and the highest ARPU ($52.42) amongst all U.S. carriers. It didn’t lose customers, but it wasn’t gaining them either adding a paltry 6,000 new subs. This small growth may change this summer as the regional carrier expects to add the Android-powered HTC Desire and the Samsung Acclaim to its lineup. MetroPCS, Leap Wireless and Clearwire also performing modestly having each added tens of thousands of subscribers and maintaining an ARPU that ranged from $37.96 to $42.77. The black sheep of the small-time carriers turned out to be Cincinnati Bell which lost 10,000 customers and had 3.3% churn.

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  • Patrick Moto Droid

    Top at the list yet again. Now all the AT&T fanboys might be able to grasp that VZW uses plenty of data, even without the iPhone.

    • T-Mo User

      That’s data service revenue, which Verizon accomplishes by forcing data plans on dumbphones. In the end, AT&T has lower churn and added more customers than Verizon.

      • JOHN

        NOBODY IS FORCING ANYONE TO GET A DATA PLAN.. IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE A PHONE FOR CALLING THEN GET A BASIC PHONE. THATS IT. IT DOES EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT.. A “PHONE”.. RIGHT??? YES IT ADDED MORE CUSTOMERS THIS QUARTER. BUT HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE NEW IPHONE CUSTOMERS?? THATS ALL AT&T IS.. IPHONE USERS. WITHOUT THE SO CALLED IPHONE, AT&T WOULD BE THE NEXT SPRINT..

      • SOUTHERN MISS ELITE

        ….Nope, you’re off base on this one.

        Why can’t I just use my droid the way I want to? Let’s say I live in an area where my 3G speeds are .75mb/.5mb (In which I do)

        And I live in an area where I can easily catch wifi services (which I can)

        And I use my phone for business purposes and not entertainment purposes (which I do)

        …why should I have to pay 29.99 for something that I would probably use 3 dollars of??? It reminds me of when I had an unlocked e71. ATT wanted me to pay for that data plan…I would pay as I went each month and only have 5 dollar data bills!

        You’re forced upon a data plan. If I recall, you cannot get a QWERTY phone with Verizon without that 10 dollar plan. Why? Because they WANT you to pay them 10 dollars…knowing you’re not going to use that wap crap and recoup it!

        Yea, you could just get a “basic” phone, but then again, you could also just get a beeper and hit up pay phones too! Times change. Verizon and AT&T are ripping off customers by charging people and falsely encouraging them to try to get their money’s worth. You really can’t, and if you do, you might potentially trigger overages.

        Yall better wake up…

      • navi

        i see what you are saying, but you are not totally right either. what alot of people tend to forget is that one of the reasons they are referred to as “smart” phones is the ability to pull data and constantly stream that data to your phone. when you have emails, weather, FB, twitter, news, etc. streaming pretty much 24 hours you are using data. i’m not a fan of charging for minimal usage either, but perhaps you are overlooking just how often these phones use data.

      • victor19nyc

        I happen to agree. “Smartphones” are are basically hand-held computers. They are incredibly useful whether you’re constantly pulling in data via the cell network or not. Plus most are now equipped with wi-fi so you can go online whenever you deem necessary.

        At the very least the carriers should allow a per-megabyte data option……..I know, I know, it’ll never happen. The cash cow is too sacred.

      • jk

        Hey I just wanted to say that what you said was not totally true. Verizon has 4 qwerty phones avail. without data plans. The Cosmos, intensity, razzle, and rival. Made for texting and no data plan required. It’s true forcing people to take data plans is dumb. But if you want the phone you do it. I also know that their are people with Lg env 3′s and Env touchs brand new that don’t pay data. Call customer service and have them block national access = no $10 monthly fee :)

      • Walter

        For the record. Samsung Intensity. Stop crying about $10…. Seriously.. If you want a phone with capabilities like that then pay up.. att is the same way with the iphone.. so..

      • copr165

        Pardon me Southern Miss but exactly how were you “forced” upon a data plan? Did they use a gun, knife or other device. I would venture to guess it went like this. You went into the store, they told you your options and you said OK. How am I doing so far? I don’t think anyone used “force” at least they didn’t when I went into Verizon. They acually gave me the option to walk out and not sign up with them. I chose to do that on my own and I use both of my smartphones for business and they actually do the job. In my profession for them to use “force” on you would be against the law. Everyone that is complaining remember, this is still America and you still have a chose.

      • ItsMeBeaches

        Southern i completely agree with u…If u do not use nor need a data plan why do u have to pay for it? I dont care what any of u guys say, if i want a phone i should be able to get that phone and pay for the service i like that device to have whether its a smartphone or multimedia phone or whatever that phone may be…maybe i want a smartphone because its like having a computer with me so i can work on a hw assignment while im in a car trip, and not to update my status on facebook, WHY DO I NEED TO PAY FOR DATA…i know these phones have things streaming to them non-stop but there has to be a way to turn that off…and what if i want a multimedia phone just so i can have a nice mp3 player with me where ever i go, maybe i like technology so i like a touchscreen, and want a full keyboard cuz i like to text…WHY DO I NEED TO PAY FOR DATA…u guys have it because u want it, dont try to make it seem ok for ppl who dont need a service get robbed by these companies just because they want a quality phone. Its bullshit what these guys are doing, u should only pay for what U WANT, NOT WHAT THEY WANT U TO PAY FOR, not everyone is ok with a 100+ dollar bill every month.

      • rob

        By now you should know that no one likes it when you write in all caps. Any point you were trying to make is lost because everyone just thinks your a douche.

      • http://stevenglansburg.wordpress.com StevenGlansburg

        you sound like a typical Verizon dbag to me…

      • Bob

        All the major carriers Do REQ data for multimedia and PAD phones, I worked for Tmobile USA, and I work for Verizon now. With tmobile however you are forced to ger $14 web to go vs Verison 9.99 VZW on multi media.

      • Tommy

        Yeah, you’re right. Verizon is less expensive than T-Mobile (eyes rolling completely out of my head).

    • The Late Ted Kennedy

      Verizon still sucks and is very over priced. Have you read or seen that Verizon has many outages around the country. Hell, Just call there country service and get the recording that they are sorry for a certain outage but they are working on it.

      • The Late Ted Kennedy

        ***customer

  • erphan

    only if AT

    • StevenGlansburg

      BGR Iphone App fail

  • Weapondrift

    What exactly is churn? Is it similar to turnover rate?

    • JOHN

      YES.. CHURN IS WHEN A CUSTOMER DISCONNECTS AND THEN GOES TO ANOTHER PROVIDER..

  • Droid owner

    You can always disconnect dataplan after 3months for dumb phones…. but not for smart phone. …. I brought a LG touch for my wife and she don’t have dataplan. .. I called vzw customer service a d blocked SMS also… she can’t access internet and SMS accdientally

  • EL

    Now that’s a DumbPhone!

  • http://youknowit.com yo

    If verizon had the iphone – they would be the monopoly and the numbers would like something like 140 million VZ, 60 ATT

    • rob

      i think you would be surprised how many people wouldn’t leave att if verizon got the iphone, here in maryland att works just fine and i couldn’t be happier with my coverage. i know that not the case everywhere, but i don’t think there would be this huge wave of att subscribers jumping to verizon.

      • navi

        the one thing people complain most about at&t is service. trust me, if vzw got the iphone it would be curtains. if you think about it, the iphone is the only phone anyone ever talks about on at&t. you couple that with poor coverage (in some locations) with vzw’s upcoming lineup and great coverage and it’s pretty much a wrap. not trying to argue here, just my opinion.

      • Hollaman

        Wrong, AT&T has and always will have the best phones. I can choose from the iphone, the bb 9700, or a nexus one or any other gsm handset (bands willing)

        The tour is crap.

      • JustinWhy?

        So what are my options for a non-gimped Android phone that I can purchase directly from AT&T?

        I’ll wait.

      • http://www.bgr.com NewsWorthy

        L – O – Freakin – L @ I’ll wait…

      • copr165

        Argue on navi cause your are right. Wait AT&T does have the advertisement of American Idol. Maybe that will keep them afloat. Iphone is all they got. Always wanted one til I got the Incredible. Forget Iphone even if VZW (my favorite wireless provider) gets it. I have Ipod Touch everything except the phone and Incredible is far superior.

      • http://DBrookePhotography.com D Brooke

        I’ve had VZW for 6 years now. My plan expires in 1 month. I’m sick of verizon, their attitude, and their over priced service. I pay 240 a month for service. To renew on a new plan would raise my bill to 300 a month. My current plan no longer exists. I’m porting my 3 numbers to another service and bidding verizon a “good riddance”
        And for those of you wondering, No iphone. I would never have anything apple.

  • http://Philtyler.info Philtyler

    What are peoples predictions for the future of cell phone companies? Who do you think will rise and l fall? Personally, I saw a commercial the other day for $50 unlimited everything and i’m going to get it once my iPhone contract expires…I forgot who the carrier was… These companies cannot continue to pound people and not have them leave.

    • copr165

      It’s 50 everywhere cause it don’t work everywhere. Good luck with that!!!

    • copr165

      Oh wait I’m sorry you have the Iphone so in your case there won’t be any difference except for the difference in monthly fees so you should be OK.

  • BigBoy

    So VZW with all of it’s great network loses 1.3 million customers of their 92.8 million customers. AT&T with 86.9 million customers is losing 1.1 million customers despite their “crappy” network. You’d think customers would be jumping ship from AT&T in droves if that was the case.

    • Bob

      Yeah, the cheap bastards will pay frapple, but not a ETF that would end the misery of it all together.

      Looks cool, doesn’t do a icrap.

  • Burnette

    I would have thought att would have more considering they had the iphone… If vzw ever gets the iphone it’s a done deal for the other carriers.

  • Maverick

    Reading a piece of history on the cell/mobile phone when it first hit the market and the outrages prices and the main purpose for phone …….now look where society is at with todays current wireless carriers and phone…..one would think wow what a better world for mankind……..but no everyone seems to be bickering…..for humanity to better ourselves and have a future for generations to come we must put our differences aside and focus on each others postives or technology will surpass our wisdom and seal humanitys doom.

  • Wireless Fool

    I work at Wireless Advocates in a Costco in Portland and we have to deal with the “why do I need to pay for something I won’t use” argument all the time. Quite often if we can show the person how easy it is to set up their email or how they can use the data on their phone, they usually don’t have an issue with it. That being said I still believe its a bogus charge, but the reps who come in claim the companies have studies, surveys, etc to justify the “included” data features actually save customers money. As for what network is better, I had ATT for awhile and have had Verizon for the last 6 years. I’ve been all over the US and where I’ve been, Verizon has always had excellent coverage for me. No complaints with ATT, I just prefer Verizon. *Disclosure* If the iPhone comes to Verizon I won’t be getting one, I prefer Android.

  • tormenta78

    Bigboy – reson most dont leave is they still under contract, dont want to pay etf

    If VZW got the iphone it would be very lopsided

    If you dont want to pay for data then dont get a data type phone, its that simple. You dont go to a car dealer and say give me a Benz but with a Kia price tag. Of course the carrier is trying to make money. Thats why they are in business. If you @ your job where putting in more work, wouldnt you want more money????

  • StevenGlansburg

    In the end, there wouldn’t be much of a drive to Verizon from At&t customers. They don’t save any money. I’m not convinced their map commercials influence new customers as much as they keep olds one from defecting…

  • DaveM

    On the east coast Verizon drops fewer calls and has fewer dead spots than AT&T.

  • copr165

    I wish that all the people complaining about the cost to do business on VZW would go ahead and invest their dollars and start their own wireless company. Let us see how much you charge after that investment and by the way I can use my VZW smartphone almost about any where. That is why I pay for the service and it’s my money. If you don’t like paying for it go to another wireless company and pay for crap service then you’ll pay a smaller amount but not be able to use the phone. AT&T in their ads say they cover 97% of all the people in the US. Maybe Dolly Parton Country where I live is in the 3% that is not covered but have the largest tourism annually of any National Park. Nine to twelve million people annually. I certainly feel sorry for all those AT&T customers that visit here each year and can’t use their phones to call and see why traffic is so bad or for directions on how they can avoid the it. I gladly pay for service I can use and hate paying for service I can’t. GO BIG RED!!!

    • copr165

      By the way I had a home phone with AT&T that they couldn’t even keep going. I added a smartphone to my account paying 9.99 plus data plan of 29.99 which was less than my stupid home phone (which I cancelled) that when it worked didn’t do much and I get to carry the other phone with me and don’t miss calls and the only time I could talk on the home phone was at my house. That sure was a deal now wasn’t it.

  • Luis

    In the end I think AT&T is in a much better position than Verizon is right now. Verizon Cost to acquire a customer has been going through the roof with all the smartphone subsidies and the over $2 billion in marketing and the Verizon Landline presence is no where near as big as AT&T. Even if at&t just relied on the iphone they are much better off because apple is taking care of the warranties and most of the marketing. Verizon will bring out 30 new smart phones this year and with subsides and marketing and warranty coverage it is going to cost them $500+ to get a customer.

  • Roger

    All of the comments are about AT&T and Verizon. I’ve had both before, but curently have, and have had for 6 years, Sprint. It has been less expensive, free call service 24/7 to any cell carrier, unlimited roaming in base package, which means if there is no Sprint signal any other will work, there data package works well and they have both 3G and 4G networks. Customer service has been extremely good, and they’ve taken the initiative a couple of times to inform me of lowering my cost with added coverage as they develop and upgrade their plans.

  • StevenHamburg
  • whatever

    If you don’t use internet you don’t need bberry, iphones, or android…get a flip phone.

    And for the record, bob. Web2go on tmo is 9.99. And they don’t require that feature on any device on the lineup. Not for a month or 3 months or the life of the contract…smartphones require web because that’s what they are made to do :)

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