AT&T iPhone drops calls three times that of Verizon, study says

If you've heard less Verizon iPhone users complain about their phones dropping calls than AT&T ones, that's probably rooted in some semblance of fact. The latest survey from ChangeWave Research shows that AT&T iPhone customers are three times more likely to drop a call than those with a Verizon iPhone.

4.8 percent of those on AT&T had experienced a drop call in the past 90 days, versus only 1.8 percent on Verizon. While the latter model has not been out for the full three months that the survey period covers, the numbers do match up fairly close with that of dropped call percentages across all devices.

There, 1.4 percent have experienced a dropped call in the last 90 days on Verizon, while 4.6 percent have done so on AT&T. Since ChangeWave began surveying the issue back in September 2008, Verizon's dropped calls have generally lessened and AT&T's increased.

It should be noted that AT&T's dropped call percentage peaked in August and September 2010 around 6 percent -- this was exactly the same time as "Antennagate" rattled Apple and forced the company to all but admit antenna issues with the iPhone 4.

Anecdotal evidence could point to the iPhone itself being the root of this problem, as the millions of new customers likely put a strain on the network. In some areas, such as New York and San Francisco, it is believed that the problems on AT&T have a lot to do with high concentrations of iPhone users.

While it can not be said from the data, these issues -- and the news coverage surrounding them -- could attribute to the advantage Verizon appears to have in attracting potential new iPhone 4 customers. Of those expecting to purchase the phone in the next 90 days, 46 percent plan to do so through Verizon.

This compares to only 27 percent with AT&T, and another 27 percent who said they were not sure who they would purchase the device from.