Apple?s iPhone ranked the highest in a consumer-oriented smartphones study by CFI Group, but consumers are unhappy with AT&T?s network.

The new study found that Google?s Android handsets and the Palm Pre are also favored by consumers. While customers are happy with these smartphones, many are unhappy with the respective carrier networks, T-Mobile and Sprint.

?To wireless carriers I say be careful what you wish for and make sure your network can handle your smartphone offerings,? said Doug Helmreich, program director with CFI Group, Ann Arbor, MI.

CFI Group surveyed more than 1,000 smartphone users. The CFI Group is a research firm dedicated to helping each client find the cause-and-effect steps to improve customer satisfaction.

The study found that AT&T is receiving customer backlash because customers are being drawn to the device, not the provider. Coverage can be spotty at times, in part because iPhone users consume so much data.

Consumers who switched to AT&T just for the iPhone are more vocal in their problems with the carrier network, Mr. Helmreich said.

Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index to compare smartphone platforms, the iPhone came out the leader in customer satisfaction, with a score of 83 out of 100, 8 percent higher than competitors.

Android phones and the Pre both scored a 77. Mr. Helmreich said the Android-based handsets need to catch up in hardware and the Pre needs to bridge an application gap to reach iPhone customer satisfaction levels.

Research In Motion?s BlackBerry scored a 73 and Palm?s Treo received a 70.

Mr. Helmreich said Verizon Wireless has one of the highest customer satisfaction numbers, but consumers are disappointed in the carrier?s smartphone offerings.

?We don?t know if they are not offering certain smartphones to keep their network pristine, but Verizon?s generic smartphone is not helping their customer service stats,? Mr. Helmreich said.

Verizon and T-Mobile had the highest overall smartphone provider satisfaction with scores of 79.

AT&T?s underperformance could be a result of the iPhone?s popularity and its network demands.

The study found half of iPhone respondents would like to defect to a different provider.

Additionally, consumers who switched carriers to get their smartphone of choice were less satisfied with the provider than those who did not switch.

Forty percent of iPhone respondents said that they changed providers to get the phone, but customers who are forced to switch providers are not predisposed to like their new carrier.

Mr. Helmreich said that handset manufactures need to continue to invest in technological advances to keep hardware evolving while wireless carriers need to make various improvements.

Wireless carriers need to make sure their platforms can offer consumers what they want.

?Make sure you?re offering platforms that have consumer-oriented features, because consumers care much more about Web browsing, so make sure phones are offering those kinds of things," Mr. Helmreich said.

?For Verizon, you need better phones,? he said. ?AT&T should think about the price of exclusivity.

"It?s working out for them in terms of new customers, but is it worth the damaged reputation and high customer-service costs??