Verizon is No. 1 in RootMetrics’ Kansas City area network test

In the Kansas City area, Verizon is first in the most recent network test.

The nation’s largest wireless carrier topped the competition in RootMetrics’ network tests in the Kansas City area for the first half of 2016. It has won or shared the top spot in 11 rounds of RootMetrics tests locally.

Sprint, based in Overland Park, tied for second with T-Mobile USA. AT&T ranked fourth in the latest test.

RootMetrics, whose tests Sprint frequently touts, showed Verizon first in overall performance, network speed and data performance. In other categories tested, Verizon shared the top spot with Sprint for network reliability and call performance. All four national carriers tied for text performance.

Sprint’s overall performance tie with T-Mobile found the two carriers trailing Verizon’s overall score of 98.5. T-Mobile scored 97.3 and Sprint 96.9, close enough for RootMetrics to declare them tied. AT&T scored 96.2.

Verizon’s win in Kansas City follows its recent win in a national network speed test by PC Magazine. The magazine said Verizon won its ranking for the third consecutive time but Sprint’s emergence as a competitor had been “the story” of the test results.

Sprint has focused its recent advertising on a message that “every network is great.” Ads claim the reliability of Sprint’s network is within 1 percent of Verizon’s network and that Sprint’s half-off promotion is a reason to switch carriers.

The pitchman for Sprint’s new campaign is Paul Marcarelli, the former face of Verizon in its “Can you hear me now?” commercials.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Verizon is No. 1 in RootMetrics’ Kansas City area network test."