What Towers Does Straight Talk Use- A Complete Guideline

What towers does Straight Talk use is that from Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T. Your phone will get connected to only one of the three if activated to Straight Talk

Straight Talk Wireless is an American Mobile Virtual Network Operator offering nationwide cellular services without owning a single tower or antenna. However, the operator leases the networks of other major cellular providers. With a wide range of leasing arrangements, the MVNO offers services over cell phones that use either CDMA or GSM cell phone technology. Use several online resources to find the networks that Straight Talk relies on. The article will help you identify what towers does Straight Talk use in your area.

Straight Talk MVNO is a pay-as-you-go cell phone provider which offers phone plans through a joint arrangement of its parent companies, Walmart and Tracfone. The latter provides the phone service, and Walmart is a retail outlet for purchasing Straight Talk-branded devices and plans. You can make purchases online at Walmart and Straight Talk websites. Note that for the companies offering Tracfone’s cell phones to its employees, Straight Talk’s pay-as-you-go feature helps to remove the need for employees to submit expense reports. The feature helps the employer cap monthly expenses for employees using the phone for non-work communications.

Straight Talk uses the capacity of major network providers to provide service for both GSM and CDMA cell phones. The leasing of network equipment from other providers makes it a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. With this feature, Straight Talk avoids the cost of building its own towers, thus offering lower-cost cell plans. The plans are ideal for anyone or business that wants more control over their phone expenses. You only need to buy a new SIM card for $6.99 to get their services. Once you have the SIM card, you will get unlimited Talk, data, and text at $45/month. The only two reasons to choose them as your prepaid cellular service are; the low price and no long-term contracts.

What towers does straight talk use?

Since Straight Talk is an MVNO, it does not own or use its own wireless network. The operator leases the right to use towers from the big three carriers, namely; AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Initially, they also used Sprint towers before they merged with T-Mobile.

Because, Straight Talk partners with all the providers, its network coverage should not worry you, which is one of the provider’s most significant advantages and selling points.

Their mode of operation not only does it ensure that you have the best possible coverage, regardless of your location but also reduces the cost of building and maintaining the towers, thus saving for better services. Straight Talk partners with the three networks, but it doesn’t guarantee you access to all of them.

You only have access to one of the major carriers, depending on your location and which phone you use. As such, you will need to find the nearest tower of the carrier to give you the best network coverage.

 At a glance, the 4G LTE networks get rated as;

  • Verizon with 70% coverage
  • AT&T with 68% coverage
  • T-Mobile with 62% coverage

And the significant carriers 5G coverage are ranked as;

  • T-Mobile with 37% coverage
  • AT&T with 16% coverage
  • Verizon with 11% coverage

How is Verizon’s LTE and 5G coverage map with Straight Talk?

what towers does straight talk use

With Verizon’s 4G LTE network, Straight Talk customers have access to the best LTE coverage in the nation. Covering 70% of the country, Verizon’s LTE is powerful in cities and towns. Moreover, the ample carrier stands out for rural areas coverage, where other providers don’t have the best reputations.

Verizon lags behind AT&T and T-Mobile regarding 5G service coverage. Verizon concentrated on millimeter wave technology for the start 5G rollout, thus high speeds but low coverage.

Though Verizon’s low-band 5G increased exponentially, 11% feels very low. Note that Verizon 5G has a strong presence in most metropolitan areas. The latter gives Verizon enough coverage for it to be said it has nationwide 5G coverage.

How is AT&T’s LTE and 5G coverage map with Straight Talk?

AT&T’s 4G LTE network scores second place nationwide with 68% coverage. Like most carriers, AT&T has complete services in metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, rural areas experience poor coverage. Finding the best cell phone boosters for rural areas is advisable to ensure that you don’t experience dropped calls and poor internet connections.

The carrier takes second place in 5G coverage, with all major cities covered. However, you will have difficulty getting services as you move away from urban centers. It is advisable, before signing up, to check their coverage map to ensure sufficient coverage for your location.

How is T-Mobile’s LTE and 5G coverage map with Straight Talk?

The carrier’s LTE covers 63% of the country, throwing it behind its two major competitors in third place. Like any other carrier, it provides excellent coverage in urban centers but the worst services in rural areas. If you plan to join Straight Talk on the T-Mobile network, check their coverage map if you live outside of the city or do some hiking in mountainous areas.

Even if there is poor T-Mobile coverage at hiking places, you can use the portable cell phone signal booster for hiking to ensure you have no dropped calls and poor internet connections. With 5G coverage, T-Mobile comes out as the leader of the newest generation of cellular network technology.

With 37% coverage, the carrier outpaces its competitors, and you should expect robust 5G coverage in the country’s metropolitan areas. Despite T-Mobile having a better rural and urban 5G coverage than its competitors, it is not widespread and reliable.

How do you update your towers for Straight Talk?

Update the tower settings that your device uses to connect to the Straight Talk answers the Quizon how to get a better signal with Straight Talk. Better signal reception can help with speed issues or problems you may have when making calls.

The purpose of updating the tower settings is to reset your device to the most optimal state, taking into account your location and which Straight Talk network is available in your location. You can update your tower for the Straight Talk, as discussed below.

i) Update your APN

Updating the APN setting that your phone uses to connect to Straight Talk’s network can update your tower. An APN is an identifier allowing the phone to connect with your network by playing around with many settings. Since Straight Talk doesn’t own any single tower, the APN setting differs depending on which tower is in your area.

ii) Update your preferred roaming list

The preferred roaming list has frequency bands and carriers other than Straight Talk, allowing your device to non-home networks when you are not around. The optimization and update of the list in combination with exemplary APN configuration guarantees you to connect to the best network possible while roaming.

Updating your PRL on Straight Talk is by dialing *22891 with the dialer on your device. The code will initiate the PRL update process, and Straight Talk pushes updated PRL info to your phone.

iii) Update carrier setting

Carrier settings are an essential part of your internet connection puzzle. They predict how to connect to Straight Talk and establish a connection. Updating carrier settings means connecting to the best nearest tower, enhancing quality.

Which benefits can you get with Straight Talk compared with three major networks?

  • No commitment: The MVNO has no long-term contracts, so you pay as you go. If not satisfied with a given plan, you can amend it at any time without paying any penalty fee.
  • Flexible plans: You can customize your plans to suit your personal needs. With this feature, you get not stuck paying for the plans you don’t need.
  • Lower prices: Since the MVNO has no hundreds of physical stores and sales personnel, they can offer low costs to you. You can save up to $600 annually.
  • Keep your phone and number: With the BYOP program, save on not upgrading to the latest phone and bring your own device. You can port your number easily with Straight Talk.

What other Carriers operate as Straight Talk?

Straight Talk is among the elite group of Mobile Virtual Network Operators having access to all three major networks. Other carriers that use all the three major networks, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T:

  • Red Pocket
  • Net10
  • Tracfone

What are Straight Talk’s Plans?

Straight Talk’s plans include:

  • Platinum Unlimited plan for $65 per month
  • Ultimate Unlimited plan at $55 per month
  • Unlimited international plan at $30 per month
  • Unlimited nationwide plan at $45 per month
  • Extended 3-month plan at $130
  • Data plan for $40 per month
  • Data plan for $50 per month

Bottom Line

Straight Talk is one of the elite MVNOs with contracts and access to all major network providers, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. You can access only one of the three networks, depending on the phone compatibility to one of the networks and your location. Therefore, Straight Talk offers the best, most expanded, and most reliable network. However, as an MVNO, it does its own cons, and it is up to you to decide whether Straight Talk best fits you.

Paula Beaton

Paula Beaton