Blogs
on May 25, 2020
For several months, Sprint had the best deal in wireless when it came to all you can eat plans. The word is that Google Fi has an agreement with the three US carriers it uses (T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular) that the data is the same as a postpaid customer on that carrier. With a focus on fairness" and its non-profit contributions, US Cellular provides a comprehensive package for cell phone service, including unlimited talk, text, and data starting at just $30 per line.
If you know that you will only need service in the US, Verizon or Sprint may be your better option as their phones run on the less widely used CDMA networks. Verizon is the top Sprint coverage Map cell phone provider in Vermont, serving about 47.5 percent of cell phone users, according to a state-commissioned survey of Vermonters conducted in October and November 2017.
You can bring your own phone knowing that you will be serviced by one of the top wireless networks in the country. Their overage charges aren't as ridiculous as T-Mobile's and from personal experience, customer service for broadband cards is not all that bad. T-Mobile has the best coverage map of all the big carriers hands down.
Most T-Mobile services are available while roaming, with the notable exception of using the data in one's Data Stash. The fifth generation of wireless networks, or 5G, has been nearly a decade in the making, and it's finally becoming a reality. On the other hand, Sprint offers an amazing Unlimited Kickstart Plan, but unless you live and work in a big city, your coverage will definitely suffer.
AT&T's LTE network sometimes lags Verizon in coverage, but there are also many parts of the country where AT&T excels - and sometimes it is the only option. With a map, orienting yourself with the surrounding cell towers is no different than identifying landmarks or planning destinations for a trip.
Do not decide which carrier to subscribe to based solely on coverage maps. Boost has a decent service coverage map that will allow the use of high speed data networks in broad geographic areas. Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, AT&T and T-Mobile all have coverage maps that you can check out for mobile broadband coverage.
You can also use the links below to view coverage maps for the most popular U.S. carriers. The only exception to this unwritten rule is Alltel (and a few prepaid mobile broadband carriers). You can't take a Verizon phone over to Sprint, because Sprint's network rejects non-Sprint phones.
Sprint has been trailing the other carriers in overall speed and coverage for years It's not impossible to figure out why — Sprint has never been the largest of carriers, and a costly misfire by betting on WiMAX first for 4G instead of LTE like everyone else meant that Sprint was years behind other networks' buildouts.
International 4G: Represented by the dark pink areas of the map, these areas will experience 4G service however, it is considered international data usage which will have different rates. That said, Sprint's 2.5GHz-based 5G service is still faster than LTE. The one advantage Satellite would have is that it does work in a few areas where there is no Mobile Broadband coverage, but these areas are very remote (areas where a cell phone does not even work).