AT&T vs. Verizon iPhone 4: Which Is More Reliable?

Is Verizon or AT&T the stronger carrier for iPhone 4 users?

ChangeWave Research recently set out to answer this question by conducting a survey of 4,068 iPhone 4 owners.

In terms of customer satisfaction, both carriers ranked about the same.

Verizon's satisfaction rate was slightly higher, with 82 percent of customers polling "very satisfied" and 16 percent "somewhat satisfied in March 2011. By contrast, 80 percent of AT&T customers said they were "very satisfied" and 18 percent said they were "somewhat satisfied."

The real difference is in the number of dropped calls reported by customers from each carrier. ChangeWave's data shows that Verizon customers reported far fewer dropped calls within the same 90-day time frame.

While AT&T users said that the network dropped 4.8 percent of their total calls, "Big Red" users reported a 1.8-percent dropped call rate.

ChangeWave's study also found that 46 percent of future iPhone 4 buyers said they planned to sign on with Verizon. Twenty-seven percent said they would sign a contract with AT&T. The remaining 27 percent chose another carrier or weren't sure which they'd choose.

Within these parpameters, Verizon emerges the victor.

However, a speed test completed by Ookla in February found that the iPhone 4 performed better on AT&T's network.

"The AT&T iPhone's average download speed was 1,769 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 730 Kbps. By way of comparison, the Verizon iPhone's average download speed was 848 Kbps, and the average upload speed was 506 Kbps," reported Ookla.

If it's speed you need, AT&T will probably satisfy. If it's stability you crave, Verizon seems a safer bet.

How would you choose?