J.D Power and Associates:Verizon Wireless Has Best U.S. Network Quality

It's all too easy to grow lazy and complacent when you're the king of any given hill, but according to a new report, Verizon hasn't let its lofty position as the largest carrier in the land dull its golden touch. Over 27,000 wireless users contributed to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study (Volume 2) and collectively gave Verizon the "Best Wireless Network" crown. J.D. Power split the country into six distinct regions for its testing; Verizon Wireless ranked highest in network quality in all but one of them.

The report asked users about multiple criteria, breaking down the ratings into specific aspects such as call quality, text quality and data quality. Creating such a high-quality service takes a significant monetary investment, however; Verizon spends around $6 billion -- with a "B" -- each year to keep its infrastructure working smoothly.Since 2000, the company has spent a whopping $70 billion to improve its network.

Verizon also placed first in a recent J.D. Power and Associates survey ranking wireless customer service. In our own customer service testing, Verizon performed admirably but fell just behind T-Mobile and AT&T due to its lackluster online support. The company's network came out on top in our Nationwide 4G Showdown, however.

Via Verizon Wireless News Center and TechCrunch