From coast to coast and north to south, the worst wireless service in the country can be traced to one or two carriers, according to J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study.
In every single region of the U.S., AT&T was the worst-ranked carrier or, in one case, tied for the lowest spot.
The good news is that wireless service is strong overall. Nationwide, the average number of problems per 100 uses is nine or fewer, which is on par with the findings of J.D. Power’s 2025 study.
Younger mobile users tend to report more problems with their service, though.
In a summary of the study’s findings, Carl Lepper — senior director of technology, media and telecom at J.D. Power — notes:
“Despite generational differences in the types of problems experienced, one thing is clear: wireless network quality is strong. Younger consumers continue to push network limits through streaming and video calls, yet the industry has responded with resilience. Major carriers are delivering consistent performance …”
Even for AT&T, the number of problems per 100 uses is down from 2025 in multiple regions.
The 2026 survey is based on responses from over 20,000 wireless customers. J.D. Power divided the U.S. into six regions and examined network performance in each.
Verizon Wireless ranked best in the North Central region, with only six problems per 100 phone uses there. T-Mobile took the crown in the Southeast and the Southwest, with eight problems per 100 uses in both of those areas.
In the other three regions, Verizon and T-Mobile tied for the top spot, with each carrier receiving a score of either eight problems per 100 uses (which was the case in the Mid-Atlantic) or nine problems per 100 (in the Northeast and the West).
Following is a breakdown of how each major wireless carrier performed on devices in each region that was included in J.D. Power’s study.
In the Mid-Atlantic region:
- T-Mobile: 8 problems per 100 uses
- Verizon: 8
- AT&T: 9
In the North Central region:
- Verizon: 6 problems per 100 uses
- UScellular: 7
- T-Mobile: 8
- AT&T: 9
In the Northeast region:
- T-Mobile: 9 problems per 100 uses
- Verizon: 9
- AT&T: 11
In the Southeast region:
- T-Mobile: 8 problems per 100 uses
- AT&T: 9
- Verizon: 9
In the Southwest region:
- T-Mobile: 8 problems per 100 uses
- Verizon: 9
- AT&T: 10
In the West region:
- T-Mobile: 9 problems per 100 uses
- Verizon: 9
- AT&T: 10
