Customers prefer apps over websites for internet services

Customers’ preference for mobile applications

The way people check a bill, change a plan, or review data usage is clearly shifting toward mobile. According to the US Telecom Digital Experience Study 2026 by J.D. Power, users prefer to access their accounts via apps, a trend especially pronounced in telecommunications, where mobile phone and home internet services are increasingly converging.

The study was based on evaluations from 12,082 customers of eight internet providers and 14 mobile operators, and concludes that the digital experience—particularly account access—has become a critical driver of satisfaction.

Higher satisfaction with mobile login
– Study: J.D. Power — US Telecom Digital Experience Study 2026.
– Sample: 12,082 customer evaluations.
– Coverage: 8 internet providers and 14 mobile operators.
– Key finding (account access): app login achieves higher satisfaction than web login, with gaps of 38 points (mobile) and 42 points (internet) on a 0–1,000 scale.

Satisfaction with logging in via apps versus websites

The report’s data quantify a clear gap:

• Mobile operators (wireless carriers): average satisfaction with logging in via apps: 681/1,000.
• Internet providers (internet service providers): average satisfaction with logging in via apps: 689/1,000.

These scores correspond specifically to the login/account access experience within the study (scale from 0 to 1,000), not an overall service rating.
In both cases, logging in on websites lagged behind: 38 points lower for mobile and 42 points lower for internet. In a sector where customers enter their account for sensitive tasks—payments, plan changes, support—those points reflect accumulated friction: more steps, more failures, and more time.

J.D. Power also noted that maintenance issues and slow response times repeatedly hurt the web login experience, both for mobile operators and internet providers.

Impact of biometric logins

Biometrics emerge as the big accelerator of preference for apps. Accessing an account often involves “layers” of authentication; on mobile, facial recognition or fingerprint lets you get in with fewer interruptions, and even enables the use of passkeys.

Although built-in tools—such as password managers—can use biometrics to fill in credentials on websites, the study suggests the flow is not as smooth as in an app: the user perceives more jumps, more waiting, and more chances for error. In practice, biometrics not only improve perceived security, but also reduce the emotional cost of “logging back into” the account.

Login friction
Where friction is gained (or lost) when logging in
1) App with biometrics (face/fingerprint)
– Open app → biometric prompt → access.
– Checkpoint: if the device is already authenticated, the user often perceives “a single step”.
2) Web with password (and/or 2FA)
– Open browser → load page → username/password → possible 2FA → access.
– Typical friction checkpoints: slow loading, maintenance, credential errors, device change, switching between apps (SMS/email) for 2FA.
3) Web with password manager + biometrics
– Open browser → manager suggests credentials → biometric unlock → autofill → access.
– Checkpoint: although it reduces typing, it often adds “micro-steps” (selecting an account, confirming autofill) and depends on the website being well optimized.

T-Mobile and AT&T investments in their applications

The satisfaction gap helps explain why operators are strengthening their mobile platforms.

• T-Mobile has been positioning T-Life as a central point of customer interaction, consolidating management tasksthat were previously split among the web, calls, and stores.
• AT&T recently launched a new app—simply called AT&T—designed as a single resource for mobile and broadband customers.

Jeff Dixon, assistant vice president of Digital Product Management and Development at AT&T, emphasized that the company prioritized speed in the revamp: “We did focus on performance to make it snappy throughout,” he explained, citing architectural work in back-end services for caching and preloading data.

Performance and unified experience
– Quote (AT&T): Jeff Dixon (assistant VP, Digital Product Management and Development) attributes the improvement to a focus on performance: “make it snappy throughout”.
– Operational detail mentioned: architectural back-end work to cache and pre-load (prefetch) data, a typical tactic to reduce waiting on account screens (bills, usage, service status).
– Product move: unified app (mobile + broadband) to concentrate interactions and reduce switching between channels.

The message is clear: the digital experience is no longer just another “channel,” but the place where trust is won or lost in everyday tasks.

Satisfaction comparison between mobile and internet providers

Beyond login, the study places overall satisfaction at similar levels across segments:

• Overall satisfaction with mobile operators: 654/1,000.
• Overall satisfaction with internet providers: 659/1,000.

In the study, these scores are derived from four factors (in order of importance): design, system performance, tools and capabilities, and information.
The scores were built from four factors, in this order of importance: design, system performance, tools and capabilities, and information. In other words, it’s not enough to “look good”: speed, stability, and the real usefulness of features weigh more in the customer’s evaluation.

Keys to interpreting scores
How to read the scores (the study’s 4 drivers, in order of importance)
1) Design: navigation clarity, visual consistency, ease of finding common tasks.
2) System performance: perceived speed, stability, load times, outages/maintenance.
3) Tools and capabilities:

how comprehensive self-service is (payments, plan changes, support, tracking).
4) Information: accuracy and usefulness of the content (bills, usage, incident status, eligibility).
Practical interpretation: an improvement in “design” may not make up for it if performance or capabilities fail at critical moments (for example, when logging in or paying).

Mobile operator satisfaction ranking

In the J.D. Power study’s mobile operator ranking, the top spots were:

1. Mint Mobile — 704
2. Spectrum Mobile — 678
3. Metro by T-Mobile — 672 (tie)
4. T-Mobile — 672 (tie)

The list also lends itself to a corporate reading: among the best positioned, Spectrum is the only one that does not belong to T-Mobile, while the rest are within its orbit of brands or the operator itself.

For internet providers, the study placed:

1. T-Mobile — 695
2. AT&T — 675
3. Verizon — 669

Differences in the user experience between apps and websites

J.D. Power found that the gap between satisfaction with apps and websites is wider in telecommunications than in other industries, a warning sign for operators that still treat the web as a secondary channel.

The report quantifies that gap directly:
– In mobile operators, the difference between app and web was 25 points.
– In internet providers, the difference between app and web was of 24 points.

internet, the difference was 11 points.

The reading is twofold. On the one hand, apps are winning thanks to their ability to offer quick access, biometrics, and more controlled flows. On the other, the web remains crucial—because of accessibility, for complex tasks, or due to user preference—and its degradation (slowness, outages, maintenance) translates into measurable dissatisfaction.

Balance between App and Web
– When the app tends to win: frequent access (checking usage/bill), biometric authentication, notifications, and “guided” flows that reduce errors.
– When the web remains key: long or comparative tasks (plans, terms), management from desktop (work), accessibility with keyboard/screen readers, and scenarios where the user doesn’t want/can’t install an app.
– Risk if the web is neglected: the customer perceives “two qualities of service” (fast app vs slow web), which amplifies frustration precisely at sensitive moments (payment, support, plan changes).

Digital Transformation in the Telecommunications Sector

The evidence from the study points to a transformation that is no longer optional: the customer expects to resolve everything from their mobile, but also demands consistency when switching channels. Digitalization in telecommunications is being decided in operational details—performance, authentication, stability—just as much as in big promises of innovation.

Single account, seamless experience
In telecommunications, “digital experience” usually means account management (billing, usage, support) more than informational browsing. That’s why small frictions (login, loading, outages) weigh disproportionately on satisfaction. As mobile and home internet overlap, the expectation of a single identity and account that works the same in app and web also grows.

The Need for an Omnichannel Customer Experience

Preference for apps does not eliminate the need for a coherent experience across app, web, phone support, and store. Account management, payments, support, and service changes must maintain continuity: same data, same options, same reasonable response times.

When that continuity fails, the customer perceives it as friction: repeating information, re-authenticating, or not finding on the web what does appear in the app (or vice versa).

Challenges in Implementing Digital Solutions

The study suggests concrete challenges for the sector:

• Performance and resilience: slowness and themaintenance issues penalize the web especially.
• Frictionless authentication: biometrics raise the standard of convenience; replicating that smoothness on the web is harder.
• Data architectures: the “feeling of speed” depends on technical decisions such as caching, preloading, and well-designed back-end services.
• Functional parity: if the app becomes the priority channel, the web risks falling behind, widening the satisfaction gap.

Transform customer experience in your telecommunications company with Suricata Cx

The race to improve the digital experience is pushing operators to consolidate channels, automate processes, and reduce friction in every interaction. In that context, customer-experience-oriented platforms seek to unify service, sales, and support in a single operational flow.

Consistency in Omnichannel Experience
Practical checklist to implement an omnichannel experience (without losing consistency)
– [ ] Minimum integrations: billing/collections, CRM, tickets/ITSM, network status/incidents, plan/offer catalog.
– [ ] Priority use cases (high volume): bill/usage inquiry, plan change, restore access, incident tracking, payment reminder and promise to pay.
– [ ] Identity and access: define a single authentication (and recovery) flow that works the same in WhatsApp/webchat/app, with secure handoff to a human when needed.
– [ ] Operational metrics: effective self-service rate, time to resolution, login abandonment, recontact, CSAT by channel.
– [ ] Expected failure points: back-end outages, latency in account queries, data desynchronization between channels; define what is shown to the customer when it happens.
– [ ] Bot↔human handoff: clear rules (when to escalate), context transfer (reason, steps already tried), and closure with confirmation.

The need for an omnichannel solution in telecommunications

An effective omnichannel strategy connects touchpoints so the customer can start a request in one channel and finish it in another without losing context. This is especially relevant in telecommunications, where inquiries often combine billing, technical incidents, and service changes.

Benefits of automation in customer support

Automation can absorb repetitive tasks—status inquiries, troubleshooting guides, validations—and free up teams for cases

complex. When well implemented, it reduces wait times and improves consistency in responses.

How Suricata Cx improves efficiency in sales and payment recovery

In a sector with high sensitivity to friction, optimizing flows for sign-ups, plan changes, and payment reminders can directly impact conversion and reduce delinquency, as long as the process is clear and fast for the user.

The importance of real-time integration for a seamless experience

The “seamless” experience depends on integrations that reflect up-to-date data: usage, bills, network status, tickets, and offer eligibility. Without real-time synchronization, omnichannel becomes an unfulfilled promise.

Why choosing Suricata Cx is a strategic decision for your business

In a market where digital satisfaction is already measured precisely—and where apps are raising the standard—investing in tools that reduce friction, unify channels, and speed up processes can become a tangible competitive advantage: less churn, more effective self-service, and a more stable customer relationship.

That gap is explained by faster access experiences, biometrics, and frictionless flows. At Suricata Cx, this approach is operationalized with conversational AI, workflow automation, and bot↔human handoff, in addition to API-first integrations with billing/ERP systems to maintain conversational context and traceability when the customer manages their account from channels such as WhatsApp or webchat.

This analysis focuses on the digital experience measured by J.D. Power (login and overall satisfaction) and on how those findings translate into operational decisions typical of ISPs and operators; it is the usual working perspective at Suricata Cx when designing omnichannel flows aimed at reducing friction and resolution times.

The figures and rankings cited are based on the J.D. Power US Telecom Digital Experience Study 2026 and reflect customer perceptions during the period evaluated. The digital experience may vary by region, device, app version, or browser, and subsequent product changes. This information may become outdated with new updates or data; for operational decisions, it is advisable to contrast it with your own churn, performance, and satisfaction metrics by channel.