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Cell phone coverage maps are very useful tools to help you determine what type of cell phone coverage you’ll get in your area. There are many cell phone companies competing for your phone, with smaller names like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile trying to make a name for themselves, as well as smaller ones like Mint Mobile and Visible.
Who Has Best Coverage In Cell Phones
These companies always offer great deals and brag about their ultra-fast download speeds, but is it hard to tell if you’ll get those speeds where you live?
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Fortunately, most cell phone providers have cell phone coverage maps and ZIP code/address checkers that can help you determine what kind of service you’ll get in your area. We did some digging and looked at all of these coverage maps to see how big each of these handsets is. We also have links to all coverage maps so you can compare each network and find the best option for your area.
Verizon Wireless is our top-rated pick for cell phone plan providers. That being said, there are some rural and remote areas where Verizon coverage isn’t the same. Fortunately, Verizon’s coverage map lets you check coverage in your area (or anywhere in the US). This map comes with a legend that differentiates between 5G Ultra Broadband, 5G, 4G LTE, and 3G coverage so you can see exactly what kind of coverage you can expect in your area. You can enter your ZIP code or address in the search bar.
As you can see from the coverage map above, most of the US is covered by Verizon’s 4G LTE network, including densely populated areas of Hawaii and Alaska. In fact, Verizon says it covers more than 99% of the population, so unless you live with bears on a mountain in the Rockies, there’s a good chance Verizon has you covered. There are significant gaps in the Midwest and West Coast, but coverage in the East is excellent.
5G Ultra Broadband is Verizon’s super-fast 5G network. It uses high-band, ultra-wide millimeter wave spectrum to deliver faster speeds and lower latency than traditional 5G. Currently, this service is only available in select cities across the country.
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AT&T’s network has improved significantly since we last looked at its coverage, especially a significant increase in its 5G coverage. The updated version of AT&T’s interactive coverage map shows 5G+ (symbol), 5G (light blue), 4G LTE (dark blue), some AT&T coverage (green) and out-of-network coverage (yellow) locations. However, you will need to zoom in on the map to see a detailed description of the network coverage. You can enter your ZIP code or address in the search bar to quickly find your location.
This granular data means you’ll be able to tell exactly what kind of service you can expect in your area. 5G+ is only available in a few cities, but it’s interesting to see the general 5G coverage, with AT&T saying its 5G network now reaches more than 14,000 cities and towns.
Depending on your plan, AT&T says “excessive use of Internet service may result in loss of coverage in areas specified on your plan.” There is also a warning that Net-net coverage may be limited to 2G speeds. So, if you live in a yellow area on the map, you may want to consider another provider.
After Sprint and T-Mobile merged in 2020, T-Mobile now has the largest 5G network in America. If we’re being honest, T-Mobile won the 5G coverage race before it happened again, so it’s probably your best bet if you’re looking for those sweet 5G download speeds. At the same time, it also covers 99% of Americans with 4G LTE network, so you are guaranteed coverage. You can see full network coverage by checking out T-Mobile’s interactive coverage map.
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Again, you’ll have to zoom in to see a detailed breakdown of coverage, but there’s enough granularity here that you’ll know exactly what coverage you’ll get in your hometown. Map 5G (bright pink), 4G LTE (purple), 3G/2G (light pink), partner coverage (lilac) and no coverage (black). T-Mobile is really committed to the pink color branding, so the difference may not be obvious to the reader, but you can see the difference on the map itself. You can enter your ZIP code or address in the search bar to find coverage for your specific area.
Outside of the big three, US Cellular is the only other cell phone provider that operates its own network. The US cell phone coverage map looks overwhelming at first, but zooming in reveals that large parts of the network are blocked, meaning you’ll be jumping to another network like Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile in these areas. .
US Cellular’s own network mainly covers Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, Maine and New Hampshire. However, compared to other major networks, US Cellular’s 5G coverage is limited and can only be found in certain regions.
You can view the full US Cellular map on the company’s website. You’ll want to zoom in on the full breakdown of coverage types, with 5G (green), 4G LTE (blue), 3G (light blue) and friends’ coverage (dark blue). You can enter your ZIP code or address in the search bar.
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Mint Mobile uses the T-Mobile network to provide its mobile services. However, this doesn’t mean you can use the T-Mobile coverage map to check your Mint coverage, because the map includes a T-Mobile’s coverage that Mint can’t find. Fortunately, you can use Mint Mobile’s coverage map on their website to see where you can find coverage.
Zoom in on the map and you’ll get a detailed view of the different types of cellular coverage with 5G (dark green), 4G LTE (mint green) and 3G (light mint green). Again, they’re very committed to the Mint brand, but it’s obvious if you look at it. Designated areas on the map show the speed and where you can expect to be blocked outside, in your car or in residential or commercial areas.
You can enter your state, city or zip code in the search bar to find out if there is a property in that area, saving you from having to navigate the entire country map.
Optical uses the Verizon Wireless network and therefore, provides access to more than 99% of the US population. You can see the visual coverage map on their website, but for some odd reason it’s only available as a small box outside rather than a full page map. You can enter your location in the search bar and zoom the map to that location, but if you want to see a wider view it’s better to check out the Verizon map we’ve linked in that section.
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Xfinity also uses the Verizon Wireless network, so you’re looking at 99% coverage like other companies that use this network. Xfinity doesn’t have an interactive map like the others, but it does have a ZIP code checker that tells you if you can get coverage and if you can get 5G and/or 4G LTE in that area. If you want to check a larger area to see what’s covered, you can use Verizon’s interactive coverage map.
Google Fi uses a combination of the T-Mobile and US Cellular networks to map its national coverage. As the cover page explains, your signal automatically switches between networks based on the network that gives you the best signal in any given area.
Check the Google Fi coverage map to check the type of signal you get in your area, showing both 5G (dark green) and 4G LTE (light green) options. You can enter your address or ZIP code to check coverage instantly.
The link is in the name here – T-Mobile owns Metro and operates its network, so it offers the same cell phone service. However, Metro still provides its own interactive coverage map so you can check to see if you get cell coverage in your area before signing up for a cell plan with them.
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Because it uses T-Mobile’s network, Metro coverage has similar features. There are large areas in the western part of the country that don’t accept cell phones using the metro, so check
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