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Sprint “wins” award for lowest-rated carrier in the United States

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Now that we’re in December, it’s easy to look back and say that Sprint has had a rather interesting 2014. This year saw the reign of Marcelo Claure as Sprint CEO begin, as well as Sprint’s attempts to improve its LTE coverage and revamp its current plans. Unfortunately for Sprint, it will end the year on a bad note, as Consumer Reports awarded it the lowest-rated carrier of 2014, as reported by Motley Fool.

According to the report (subscription required), out of a possible 100, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T earned ratings of 69, 69, and 66, respectively. Sprint, meanwhile, earned the lowest survey rating with a 59. In fact, except for three out of 10 ranked categories, Sprint finished with below-average ratings. This might not come as a surprise to Sprint, seeing how it finished dead last in customer satisfaction last year.

Even with the low ratings, Sprint can still change its trajectory. The carrier is currently in the process of rolling out Spark, its enhanced LTE network. In addition, it’s working hard to gain subscribers by implementing new plans, such as lease plans and a revamped family plan. Sprint is even considering becoming the second Uncarrier, an ideology shift that has paid dividends for T-Mobile.

Williams Pelegrin
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