Best 4G coverage
Best 5G coverage
Long story short, Verizon still owns the championship belt for most coverage overall. T-Mobile has taken a strong, early lead in the 5G race, but expect that race to get closer throughout 2023. Last but not least, we have AT&T, who falls somewhere in the middle in both 4G and 5G coverage. Meanwhile, smaller MVNO carriers like Mint Mobile and Visible Wireless are offering up to 6 months of free cell phone service or discounts on select phones to entice new customers interested in more budget-friendly smartphones. Find these and other offers in our monthly roundup of the best cell phone deals. If you live close to any big cities in those areas, you should expect super reliable coverage. Depending on your service location, you may be covered by 5G. Verizon’s 5G coverage falls behind T-Mobile and AT&T at just 12% coverage.1 Instagram stories, YouTube videos, and online gaming apps should all pull up quickly and smoothly on Verizon’s network. An MVNO basically feels kind of like getting the cheap seats at a really expensive concert—you get to see the show, but you don’t always get the best view. You can use an MVNO mobile provider that works on Verizon’s network, but you’ll occasionally run into deprioritization. In other words, your data speeds and coverage could drop in more congested areas because the Verizon network gives priority to Verizon customers. As a Mint Mobile user, you get access to T-Mobile’s 5G network, along with its awesome data speeds. Check out T-Mobile coming out on top for upload wireless speeds. To recap, here are the rankings for best 4G and 5G coverage providers in the country: Best 4G cell phone coverage by carrier Best 5G cell phone coverage by carrier How has your experience been with these providers? Any horror stories or tales of redemption? Let us know in the comments below! So, which 5G network is the best right now, in 2023? The short answer is: T-Mobile, which has the best overall 5G coverage and the fastest average 5G speeds, according to OpenSignal.2 But the longer answer is: it depends. In certain areas, Verizon is actually the best, with its powerful millimeter wave 5G technology that can give you speeds faster than your home internet connection. And in certain other areas, AT&T may have the strongest 5G coverage. Verizon also recently announced a rollout to it’s 5G Ultra Wideband network which may change its performance.3 So be sure to check the coverage maps (see above) to see what each carrier’s network looks like in your area. There are three major carrier networks in the United States—AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon—and each one has its own coverage area. You can see each company’s coverage map in the article above. So, to begin answering this question, we’ll say that Verizon has the best overall coverage by area. You can get a good 4G signal in more places with Verizon than with T-Mobile or AT&T. But, that doesn’t necessarily make Verizon the most reliable network in every city or town. For instance, in OpenSignal’s 2023 4G Mobile Network Experience Report, T-Mobile actually has the best overall download speed and upload speeds. This means that the networks may be more reliable (within their given coverage areas) for things like streaming video or playing games, even if they don’t have the largest coverage area by size. You can check the coverage maps on T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T’s websites or scroll up to see which carrier covers the most area in your state. Coverage in more rural areas is what sets Verizon apart from AT&T and T-Mobile, making it one of the best wireless provider options if you live in a rural pocket in the Southwest, Midwest, and Northwest.
