Verizon takes high ground in response to AT&T's 'reliable' ad
Rather than take a direct shot at its competitor, Verizon says it's focused on being "a standard for reliability." Adds Verizon: "It's not a hollow claim. Or a slogan."
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Verizon Wireless returned fire against an ad posted by AT&T claiming to be "America's most reliable network."
AT&T on Thursday showed off the ad, which aimed to supplant Verizon as the superior network.
In a response posted in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Verizon called out the ad without using AT&T's name. Rather than take a direct shot at its competitor, the company opted to take a higher road, touting its own attributes and track record for reliability.
"Others have tried to claim reliability. But to us it's not a hollow claim. Or a slogan. Or a fancy ad campaign."
The war of words is indicative of the more competitive environment, one in which the carriers are more eager to grab the dwindling pool of available customers. As the the top two carriers in the nation, AT&T and Verizon have been particularly aggressive at targeting each other.
Verizon's response touted its $7 billion annual investment in its network, its testing, and its "rigorous scrutiny" of new devices, as well as third-party data including RootMetrics' call, text, and data performance.
Verizon, however, never directly disputes AT&T's claim.
Verizon has been able to command a premium for its service because of its reputation for dependable service.
Verizon had previously touted its super-fast network as its key attribute when it was the lone player with a major 4G LTE network. But AT&T has since surpassed it as the nation's fastest network.