It was one-point gains in each of three important broadband provider customer satisfaction categories, according to new research from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
On a scale of 1 to 100, ISP satisfaction moved from 72 to 73. Breaking it down, fiber providers moved from 75 to 76, and non-fiber providers moved from 70 to 71.
On the wireless side, service providers moved from 73 to 77, the full-service mobile virtual network operator segment gained a point to 76, and value MVNOs reached 79.
Cell phones rebounded from a decline last year: Customer satisfaction rose 1% to 79, with basic functions such as phone calling and text messaging being key. AI feature performance scored 85, with flagship models (82) outpacing legacy phones and foldables (76 and 72, respectively).
Smart watch satisfaction scored 77, the same as it did last year. Service metrics for repairs advanced considerably, the press release said.
Other results:
- Internet service providers: The top-ranked fiber and non-fiber providers earned the same ACSI score. Verizon 5G Home Internet rose 3% to join AT&T Fiber (up 1%) at 79.
- In the fiber ISP group, Brightspeed Fiber gained 8% to 78. Comcast’s Xfinity Fiber rose 3% to 77, and Optimum Fiber rose 4% to 74. Cox, a non-fiber provider, rose 6% to 72, while CenturyLink improved 8% to 67.
- Wireless phone service: MNOs improved their customer satisfaction 1% to 76, which was a smaller gain than the overall industry. The score of all national brands clustered, ranging from 76 (Verizon and AT&T) to 78 (T-Mobile).
- Cell phones: Samsung (unchanged) took the top spot with a score of 81, narrowly ahead of Apple (down 1% to 80). Google and Motorola both rose 3% and tied at 77.
- Smart watches: A drop in satisfaction among Samsung (down 4%) led to a tie with Apple (unchanged) at the top of the leaderboard at 80. Google Fitbit (up 8% to 78) was next, followed by newcomers Garmin (76) and Google Pixel (74).
“What we’re seeing this year is the payoff from providers getting the basics right,” Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and ACSI Director of Research Emeritus Forrest Morgeson said in a press release about the customer satisfaction survey.
“Network performance is improving, outages are less frequent, and core functions like calling and texting are generally reliable. But as the baseline rises across internet, wireless, and devices, ‘good enough’ keeps getting redefined. With new competitors and technologies entering the market, providers can’t coast on fundamentals alone. They need to build on that foundation with meaningful innovation and better value.”
There was good news for consumers on the wireless price front last week. CTIA released the “More for Less: 2026 Wireless Affordability Tracker,” which found that when adjusted for inflation postpaid unlimited plans are 10% less expensive than last year and almost 35% less than five years ago. The proliferation of plans — the tracker says that it found more than a thousand — has driven prepaid options down more than 50% during the past five years.
