Sevana: T-Mobile and Sprint run Verizon close in New York City

Latest RootMetrics survey found T-Mobile and Sprint close No. 2 and No. 3 to Verizon

Whether deserved or not, New York City is seen by many as the most important urban market in the country, and from a mobile carrier perspective, a true harbinger for how that carrier’s wireless network quality is perceived.

RootMetrics zeroed in on the most densely populated portions of the Big Apple with its network performance platform, with results showing both what was expected as well as some surprises.

RootMetrics said the stats were gleaned from 72,000 tests in both indoor and outdoor locations across seven districts in Manhattan, including the Financial District, the Garment District, Midtown, Soho, Tribeca, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side. The testing also included a mix of venues (Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center); transit locations, including Penn Station and Grand Central Station; airports, including John F. Kennedy International, Newark International and LaGuardia; and campus locations, including Columbia University and Fordham University.

Culling details from its research, RootMetrics found that while Verizon Wireless posted the strongest overall Manhattan “urban zone” performance, Sprint and T-Mobile US showed that at least in this environment they were a match for their larger rivals.

RootMetrics awarded Verizon Wireless first place or a tie for first place in 14 of the 21 total locations tested in the survey, including nine of 12 campus locations, four of four venues and one of two transit locations. Verizon Wireless did not fare so well at the area’s airports, missing out on a top ranking in all three locations.

T-Mobile US could be considered No. 2 in the survey, picking up first or a share of first place in 10 of the 21 locations, including seven campus settings, two of the airport locations and one of the transit stops. The carrier did not score a top ranking in any of the venue locations, though it did edge out Verizon Wireless as the fastest network in the survey area.

Sprint, which has focused a lot recently on its improving network performance, picked up a top or shared for top ranking in seven of the 12 campus locations included in the RootMetrics survey, but failed to garner a top spot in any of the other locations.

Perhaps most surprising was AT&T Mobility’s modest three first or tied for first rankings in the survey, snaring just a pair of top spots in campus locations and a single top spot at an airport. RootMetrics noted AT&T Mobility has typically trailed closely behind Verizon Wireless in most of its rankings, including its most recent “New York City and Tri-State Area” survey from earlier this year.

“However, within the densely populated Manhattan urban zone and the variety of other dense locations we tested in the New York City area, we saw increased competition from Sprint and T-Mobile,” RootMetrics explained in its latest report. “If results from these locations are any indication, investments from Sprint and T-Mobile are having a significant impact and helping to reshape the mobile performance race.”

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