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J.D. Power finds unlimited data plans positively affect perceived network quality
August 05, 2025
This result interestingly contradicts the hard data that network congestiondefinitely spiked when unlimited plans were introduced. However, this J.D. Power survey is focused only on the customer experience, so even though all 4G networks in the U.S. are more heavily congested than they’ve ever been in a technical sense, most consumers haven’t noticed.
There were some other interesting results from J.D. Power’s study. For one, customers whobring their own devicesto a network rather than buying a phone direct from the carrier experience higher incidences of network quality problems, even if they are on an unlimited plan. Another unexpected result is that phone age is not a factor in the customers’ perception of the network, which relates to other data about smartphone ownersholding onto their devices for longer periods of time.
Other, more predictable results includeVerizon being the highest quality network, and that customers who experience few network issues usually opt to stick with their current carrier, while those who experience many issues look to switch.
You can readthe full J.D. Power press release here.
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