There are over a hundred cell phone service providers in the US. Some companies include Verizon, T-Mobile, Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, US Cellular, Straight Talk, Xfinity, Consumer Cellular, and many more. Interestingly, these companies offer unique services to attract new customers and maintain the available customers. Network coverage is one of the critical aspects that a customer must check before subscribing to a carrier. Therefore, it is essential to know which cell company has the best coverage in my area.
These cell phone service providers also have different mobile phone plans and deals for new and existing customers. Some of these mobile phone deals and home internet services include; ways to improve mobile signal home, unlimited mobile data, text and talk time, no-contract deals, free government phones, whopping discounts for new and existing customers, and many more.
The federal government of the United States of America is also on the far front of ensuring that all US citizens are receiving mobile phone services at affordable prices. The government introduced the affordable connectivity program (ACP) to ensure that all low-income citizens also receive the best mobile phone services.
What Is Cell Phone Network Coverage?
This is the geographical area that a network service provider covers. This means that mobile phones using a particular network will only work in specific areas. Different mobile providers have different coverage depending on the technology they are using. This also refers to how a given mobile phone carrier’s signal works and its strength.
The mobile network coverage of each wireless provider will depend on where the company has placed its towers and other network infrastructure. Different carriers have different network coverage; therefore, before choosing a carrier in a particular area, you should look if it is available in that area or not. One can use the cell phone coverage map discussed later in the article.
Who Has the Best 5G Network in the Market Today?
This is the fifth generation of wireless networks that are specifically initiated to meet the high data demands in the market today. This has expanded the scope of mobile technology beyond the capabilities of the LTE network. 5G allows the significant transfer of mobile data efficiently compared to 4G LTE. This means that the network speed is fast, has less lag, and can handle many digital device connections without buffering.
It can be built using a different spectrum band from low-band, mid-band to high-band. The low band spectrum has a frequency of 600 MHz signal, thereby having an extensive network coverage. The frequencies deliver faster than the 4G LTE over hundreds of miles of the square area.
The newest mobile phone network technology is the fifth-generation network (5G). This technology has come after using earlier generations like 3G and 4G. So, which 5G is the best in the market now? According to OpenSignal, T-Mobile is the company that offers the best overall 5G network coverage in the US.
T-Mobile has the fastest average 5G speeds. However, Verizon Wireless is the best in certain areas, with its powerful millimeter-wave 5G technology can provide speeds faster than a home internet connection. Additionally, AT&T may have the most robust 5G network coverage in some areas.
Therefore, it is good to use the coverage maps to check how each carrier’s network behaves in the area. Generally, the 5G network technology coverage can be summarized as;
- T-Mobile: 41% 5G coverage
- AT&T: 18% 5G coverage
- Verizon: 11% 5G coverage
What Are the Network Providers with the best coverage in my area?
There are three significant networks providers in the United States, namely T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The companies offer a wide variety of mobile phone plans and deals nationwide. Each company has its operation capacity; therefore, they provide different mobile phone deals and network coverage areas. Therefore, a customer needs to check the area coverage by a particular cell phone service provider. The network coverage of these three network providers is discussed below.
1) Verizon wireless network provider
With Verizon plans, you get a fast and reliable internet connection; the company uses the latest 5G network to offer its services. Verizon wireless customers obtain a fast internet connection by 5G Get more plan speed is obtained from $90. Customers who prefer much cheaper cell phone wireless plans can get unlimited mobile data on different cell phone networks. Still, they can’t enjoy the same coverage reliability.
Verizon wireless offers by far the most network coverage in the US. This is the best provider that offers services nationwide. Therefore, there is absolutely no time to find yourself without a signal. Some of the benefits of using Verizon as your network provider from unlimited data to best network speed include;
- The company covers 70% of 4G services across the country.
- Many Verizon customers report obtaining a 95.9% 4G coverage while using Verizon’s network.
- The company’s network coverage will always depend on location since most areas are more reliable than others. However, there are some locations in the US where the network is weak you need to worry about are more remote areas in the Southwest, Midwest, and Northwest. If you reside close to any metropolitan in those areas, you should expect reliable coverage.
Pros
- It is the company with the most extensive network coverage in the US
- Has the fastest download speeds?
Cons
- It has expensive mobile phone deals and plans
2) AT&T Network Provider
Research of March of 2022 shows that AT&T network provider covers 68% of the landmass in the United States of America. AT&T mobile phone users have reported enjoying a reliable coverage of 92.9% of the time. The company has about a 1–2% network coverage drops from Verizon wireless to AT&T mobile phone network, making the coverage difference virtually unrecognizable for most countries.
This shows that it is the second in network coverage provision. The difference between Verizon and AT&T, cell phone network providers, is the rural coverage. Verizon wireless covers a few more remote areas than the AT&T Company. However, the coverage should generally feel the exact location in the vast majority of the country.
Pros
- It is the second-best coverage
- It comes with Free streaming cell phone data
Cons
- It has some dead spots
3) T-Mobile
It is the third network provider with the excellent network coverage. The company has network coverage of 62%, which is a massive drop-off from Verizon wireless which is 70% 4G service coverage. T-Mobile is the last in the 4G network coverage experience for cell phone users. However, it has an average internet download speed of 35.3 Mbps, which does not show any problem with YouTube streams, Twitter videos, or watching Instagram stories.
The T-Mobile network service also enables you to download smartphone apps without any problem. Additionally, T-Mobile’s network provider comes in first place for mobile data upload and download speeds.
This is one of the biggest deals for people who love updating Instagram stories, Twitter videos, or YouTube videos. Likewise, it is a big deal for people who watch Instagram stories, Twitter videos, and YouTube streaming.
How Do You Find the Best Network Coverage in your Area?
To answer this question, we need to know the geographical area coverage by different mobile service providers. Different Carries have their on-cell phone coverage maps found online. So, what is a Cell Phone Coverage Map Comparison? This map shows a specific carrier’s 4G LTE mobile coverage areas, primarily the four largest mobile wireless carriers: AT&T Mobile, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Verizon.
Specifically, it shows where customers can expect to get the 4G LTE broadband service at a minimum mobile download speed of five megabits per second (5 Mbps). Based on propagation modeling, a user uploads a data speed of one megabit per second (1 Mbps). The map typically shows separate layers for each network provider’s broadband and voice coverage.
The Voice coverage areas represent where customers should be able to make and receive cell phone voice calls and send and receive messages over the 4G LTE network, without regard to throughput speed. 4G LTE data service meeting a 5/1 Mbps minimum download and upload speed may not be available in areas where only the voice coverage is shown on the map. Generally, the companies that provide the best 4G network coverage include;
- Verizon: 70% 4G coverage
- AT&T: 68% 4G coverage
- T-Mobile: 62% 4G coverage
Bottom Line
Different states in the US have access to Different carriers since mobile network operators have different capabilities to offer internet services. Large companies such as Verizon and AT&T have many mobile phone plans and deals and broader network coverage than mobile virtual network operators such as cricket wireless. The MVNOs have fewer mobile phone plans but an excellent nationwide network since they operate under the prominent three cell phone service providers.
