• March 25, 2020

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As more Americans are working from home as a safety precaution due to COVID-19, AT&T and Verizon are experiencing a rise in something that’s recently been on a decline: mobile voice traffic.

For Verizon, voice traffic increased 25% between March 12-19, despite being on a recent decline due to the growing popularity of texting, social media, and chat. The carrier attributes this notable increase to conference call usage as a result of more people working remotely at this time.

According to Verizon CTO, Kyle Malady, “For years we’ve seen a steady decline in the amount of time people spend talking to one another, especially on wireless devices. The move to staying at home has reignited people’s hunger to stay connected, voice-to-voice.” Verizon, alone, has experienced a 10% increase in overall wireless voice usage, and a 15% increase in call duration, specifically.

AT&T also experienced a significant increase in their traffic. For example, Sunday, March 22, the carrier’s Wi-Fi usage increased 88% in comparison to its typical Sunday usage. Wireless voice calls, on that same day, were up 44%.

Randall Stephenson, AT&T’s Chairman and CEO, praised the network’s performance during this unprecedented time saying, “Right now, the network is performing quite well and this is really an indication that the United States has led the world in investment in communication infrastructure. Not just us, T-Mobile, Verizon, and this investment, billions upon billions of dollars of investment, we’re seeing it pay off at a time of national crisis like this.”

More recently, Verizon increased its 2020 capital guidance by $500 million to speed up its transition to 5G and to help support the economy during these turbulent times.

All four major carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, have also been taking steps to support their customers, as many are feeling the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Waiving late fees and maintaining connectivity for users who are past due on payments are just some of the ways carriers are stepping up to ease consumer worry.

Whether by text, chat, or mobile voice call, remaining connected–particularly in the days ahead–is critical, and network initiatives will continue to be top priorities for carriers.

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Sources:

www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/mobile-voice-usage-dials-up-for-at-t-verizon-as-americans-stay-home