Source: J.D. Power and Associates

Can you hear me now? If you're a customer of AT&T and Sprint Nextel and live in the western U.S., the answer to that question may be a frustrating no.

The two wireless carriers ranked at the bottom in the western region of J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Call Quality Performance Study, a semiannual study which tracks dropped calls, static, voice distortion, echoes and other common problem areas for cellular calls. 

According to the report, AT&T and Sprint Nextel both recorded 13 problems per 100 calls in the west. That compared to 10 problem calls for Verizon, Alltel and T-Mobile.

Just how bad is the AT&T experience?

The company ranked last in call quality in four of the six regions surveyed. Sprint Nextel was at the bottom in three regions, as was Bellevue-based T-Mobile.

Verizon, on the other hand, ranked at the top in five of the six regions.

As the exclusive carrier of Apple's iPhone, AT&T has been routinely criticized for its poor wireless network. Dropped calls and delayed text and voice mail messages are just a few of the common complaints.

BusinessWeek touched on the problems this week, with reporter Peter Burrows writing.

"Thanks largely to the iPhone's ability to surf the Web, play videos, and run all manner of software-based tools called apps, by some estimates AT&T now handles more than twice as much smartphone traffic as any other U.S. carrier. Or mishandles, as the case may be."

So, next time an important call drops on AT&T or Sprint Nextel, take comfort in the fact that other customers are probably experiencing the same thing.