Mobile problems tend to be scarce, according to the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study—Volume 1, released this week.
The report — which found just 9 problems per 100 uses (PP100) or fewer over the past year — is based on the company’s own reports. The number differs for younger mobile users, who engage with their devices more frequently and report a higher level of problems.
On a regional level, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless had the fewest issues, tying in the mid-Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions with scores of 9 and 8, respectively.
Verizon’s score of 6 was best in the North Central Region, followed by U.S. Cellular (7) and T-Mobile (8). T-Mobile also had a score of 8 to lead the Southeast region, while AT&T and Verizon tied for second with 9.
“Despite generational differences in the types of problems experienced, one thing is clear: wireless network quality is strong,” Carl Lepper, J.D. Power senior director of technology, media and telecom, said in a prepared statement about the mobile study.
“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, keeping the average overall problems per 100 uses steady at or below 9 over the past year.”
The study was based on responses from 20,500 wireless customers. Along with evaluating the quality of networks experienced by customers with wireless phones, the study also measured the network performance and mobile broadband devices and tablets.
The study shows that mobile carriers nearly matched the performance of a similar study from July 2025, when the research firm found that problems per 100 mobile interactions fell to 8, the lowest point since the study redesign in 2018. Additionally, the total time the average wireless customer spends on their phones in 48 hours has dropped six minutes to a total of seven hours and nine minutes.
