The coverage of 5G is expanding rapidly in thousands of U.S. towns. T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T have all launched 5G networks that use high-capacity mmWave bands and long-range sub-6 band. You should keep informed about which carrier offers the best coverage if you are ready to get a 5G phone. T-Mobile's Ultrac Capacity5G network has reached 165 million people thanks to Sprint's spectrum. 5G service will offer faster speeds and shorter response times and allow for new services and cloud computing that are not available before. It's still a work in process. 5G is gaining ground in the U.S. It's not surprising that most of the top cell phone plans include 5G, and many of the best Android smartphones work with 5G. The main difference between LTE & 5G is speed. However, as coverage expands to more areas, services that depend on instant connectivity will become more accessible. VPN Deals: A lifetime license costs $16, with monthly plans starting at $1. Before you upgrade your phone or switch carriers, make sure to check which network offers the best coverage for both 5G LTE and 4G LTE.Coverage and frequencyCarrier Bands Verizon N5 (DSS sub-6)n261 (28GHz) T-Mobile n71 (600MHz)Sprint - n41 (2.55GHz)n260 (39GHz).AT&T n261 (28GHz); AT&T AT&T (850MHz).n260 (39GHz) U.S. Cellular n71 (600MHz)A 5G network requires a balance between coverage and capacity. Carriers have access to large chunks of spectrum in the mmWave frequency bands. This allows them to achieve fiber-like speeds through the wireless network. Although it is not the first time that the frequencies of the mmWave band have been used, it is now economically feasible to use them in mobile broadband. However, there is still a lot to be done and major carriers are focusing more on coverage. Lower frequencies are less vulnerable to interference. Therefore, smaller towers must be built in order to cover areas larger than mmWave. Speed is limited because there is less spectrum at lower frequencies and more people sharing one tower. With mmWave you can have a tower that covers smaller areas, such as a neighborhood. It's kind of like your Wi-Fi only works within your home, but it is extremely fast. mmWave can be expensive and difficult to deploy. T-Mobile is using its 600MHz spectrum and 2.5GHz spectrum to achieve a balanced coverage and speed. Verizon and AT&T are relying on DSS, which allows towers to swap spectrum between LTE/5G at will. T-Mobile was able to use its resources to create the most advanced 5G network and continue to expand its capacity in hundreds of cities through its 2.5GHz spectrum. Each carrier will increase network capacity with C-band spectrum, which will become available in 2022 and 2021. This spectrum is located between T-Mobile’s 2.5GHz spectrum and the mmWave spectrum, with more similarities to T-Mobile’s spectrum. Although C-band offers a greater coverage than mmWave, it still falls short of low-band 5G. C-band will therefore be used in areas where additional capacity is required, both in urban and suburban settings. Verizon 5G coverageSource: Android CentralVerizon's 5G network expands rapidly. Verizon's 5G Ultra-Wideband network was initially small. Only a handful of cities have deployed it. This is mmWave5G. It uses large chunks (around 28GHz) of high-frequency bandwidth that produces very high speeds, but also suffers in other areas like coverage over distance and building penetration. Although coverage was sufficient in most cities to include it on the list, there is still limited coverage outside of some cities. Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) allows for a much wider nationwide network of 5G networks. According to Verizon, the network covers over 230 million people and 2700 cities. Verizon can use its vast amount of LTE spectrum with DSS to repurpose it for both 5G or LTE. The towers' equipment can assign the spectrum to the most needed network without having a major impact on LTE, which most people will continue using for some time. This nationwide network of 5G is accessible to all customers with any data plan. UWB requires an unlimited plan. Verizon's coverage map shows how much Verizon's nationwide network is larger than the UWB network. It includes both LTE coverage and 5G coverage. Verizon UWB 5G has reached 75 cities, including over 60 stadiums and seven airfields. This is a remarkable feat for an mmWave-based network, and it demonstrates Verizon’s dedication to the technology.Source: VerizonIt is easy to get discouraged by the limited 5G coverage at this point, but this network will keep things fast even when customers are connected. We have seen speeds of up to 1.4 Gbps in early tests. These incredible speeds won't be able to withstand the full Chicago load but they are still impressive and exciting. There are also more expansions to specific locations like race tracks or NFL stadiums. This is a great tech demonstration but doesn't offer much value to customers. Cities with Verizon Ultra Wideband 5G service Arizona Phoenix (5GHome) and Tucson (5GHome)Arkansas Little RockCalifornia Anaheim (5G Home) Fresno Los Angeles (5G Home) Orange County (5G Home) Riverside (5G Home) Sacramento (5G Home) San Diego (5G Home) San Francisco (5G Home) San Jose (5G Home)Colorado Colorado Springs Denver (5G Home)Connecticut Hartford (5G Home).Florida Miami (5G Home) Panama City Pensacola Sarasota St. Petersburg Tampa (5G Home)Georgia Atlanta (5G home)Idaho BoiseIllinois Chicago (5G Home)Indiana Fort Wayne Indianapolis (5G home)Iowa Des Moines (5G Home)Kentucky Louisville (5G Home)Louisiana New Orleans (5G home)Maryland BaltimoreMassachusetts BostonMichigan Ann Arbor Detroit (5G home) Grand RapidsMinnesota Minneapolis (5G home) St. Paul (5G home)Missouri Kansas City (5G Homes) St. Louis (5G Homes)Nebraska Omaha (5G Home)Nevada Las Vegas (5G Home)New Jersey Hoboken, NJ Jersey CityNew Mexico AlbuquerqueNew York New York SyracuseNorth Carolina Charlotte (5G Homes) Durham Greensboro (5G Homes) Raleigh (5G Homes)Ohio Akron Cincinnati (5G Homes) Cleveland (5G Homes) Columbus (5G Homes)Oklahoma Oklahoma CityPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaProvidence, Rhode IslandColumbia, South CarolinaSouth Dakota Sioux FallsTennessee Knoxville Memphis (5G home) NashvilleTexas Arlington (5G Home) Dallas (5G Home) Houston (5G Home) San Antonio (5G Home)Utah Salt Lake City (5G Homes)Virginia Hampton Roads Norfolk RichmondWashington Seattle (5G home) SpokaneWashington D.C.Wisconsin Milwaukee (5G Home)C-Band expansion Verizon spent $52.9billion to secure 161MHz spectrum in the C-Band auction in March 2021. Verizon anticipates that this spectrum will be available to up to 100 million people in March 2022, with 60MHz being available by the end of 2021. C-Band uses sub-6 5G spectrum, ranging from 3.7 to 4.2 GHz. C-Band is part of Verizon's Ultra Wideband Service. It will allow for increased capacity and speed in areas that millimeter-wave cannot reach. Verizon plans to reach 175 million people by 2022 and 2023, in addition to the initial 100million. C-Band coverage is expected to reach 250 million people eventually. C-Band will enable Verizon to offer 5G Home internet service in a wider range of locations than it would with millimeter-wave. Verizon 5G customers should still expect to be connected to the slower national network for the moment.Verizon 5G Nationwide and UWB - Verizon is quickly catching up Verizon's 5G network has been expanding rapidly. With nationwide 5G now available, anyone can have access to Verizon 5G network, as long as they have a 5G smartphone. VerizonT-Mobile 5G: Where is it?Source: Andrew Martonik / Android CentralT-Mobile's 5G network is the most extensive by a significant margin. T-Mobile began building a high-band mmWave network at 28GHz and 29GHz in the middle 2019 and then followed it up with 5G using its 600MHz spectrum. Although 5G at a lower frequency is slower than mmWave networks, it has a wider coverage area that makes it easier for users. T-Mobile was able to implement Sprint's 5G spectrum and make it part of its network. This has allowed T-Mobile to become the fastest 5G network and also the largest, according to OpenSignal. T-Mobile has already created an interactive map of 5G coverage that covers the entire country. T-Mobile's majority of 5G phones support the entire network, including the most famous names such as Samsung's Galaxy S21 Series. Some older phones, like the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren, will work on both networks. The majority of 5G phones that you can still buy will work with the entire network. To be certain, look for bands n41 or n71. T-Mobile's Extended Range 5G has the largest coverage area, covering more than 305,000,000 people as of July 2021. This network's coverage map looks very similar to T-Mobile LTE. The Ultra Capacity network is growing rapidly, so speeds are improving. Metro by T-Mobile and Mint Mobile offer 5G for supported phones. There are no additional fees or plans required to use 5G, unlike AT&T and Verizon. T-Mobile's sub-6 network for Layer cake and 5G SA is on bands n71 (Sprint), at 600MHz, and 2.5GHz respectively. Its mmWave network operates on n260 at 39GHz, and n261 in 28GHz. A higher frequency, while having less range and worse building penetration, has much greater potential to achieve high speeds. T-Mobile's bands n41 5G, mmWave 5,G, and Ultra Capacity 5G are now visible on T-Mobile’s coverage map.Source: T-Mobile Ultra Capacity5G refers to the 2.5GHz band n41. Extended Range 5G refers 600MHz band n71.T-Mobile's 600MHz sub-6 network speeds were not as fast as LTE in our previous testing. Two problems exist. First, there is less bandwidth on the long-range spectrum. Second, a phone might prefer to connect to a weaker LTE signal to 5G. This makes 5G a poor choice for speed head-to-head. T-Mobile will continue to improve this situation by upgrading more towers with 5G capability. The move to standalone 5G and 5G SA has been one of the most important developments. In order to deploy 5G correctly, earlier deployments required LTE connectivity. This configuration could seriously limit network coverage and responsiveness. T-Mobile reports that 5G SA has enabled a 30% increase in 5G coverage and a 40% improvement in latency. The support for n41 2.5GHz/5G is another upgrade. Sprint was able to secure quite a lot of spectrum. Although speeds are an improvement over LTE, it doesn't go nearly as far. T-Mobile customers who have compatible phones or Sprint customers with the Galaxy S20 series will be able access both bands via T-Mobile's 5G network. T-Mobile currently has 5G on its 2.5GHz spectrum in more than 2,400 cities and towns. The speeds are around 300Mbps, peaking at close to 1Gbps. T-Mobile's Ultra Capacity network covers 165 million people, and it expects to reach 200 million by 2021. T-Mobile plans to reach 250 million people by 2022, and 285 million by 2023. This is 90% of Americans. T-Mobile will increase its network by using C-Band spectrum in key locations, though the majority of that spectrum won’t be available for several years. A portion of the spectrum will be available by 2021. If you are looking for speed, mmWave has the answer. It offers a range that is closer to Wi-Fi than sub-6-5G. A tower that covers a block of city is not practical and can't reach the other side of brick walls makes it less suitable for dense areas or buildings such as stadiums. The cost of installing towers multiplied with the number of towers required will make mmWave a costly undertaking that can take many years to complete.Source: T-MobileThese cities offer high-band coverage of millimeter waves in certain areas. California Los AngelesGeorgia AtlantaNevada Las VegasNew York New YorkOhio ClevelandTexas DallasSprint and Sprint customers Sprint is now T-Mobile. Sprint customers will still be able to use the Sprint network, however. T-Mobile has yet to reveal a date for when Sprint customers can be brought to the T-Mobile network. Sprint 5G phones can now be used by T-Mobile's network, provided they are supported. Sprint customers who have an older 5G phone, such as the Galaxy S10 5G, will be able to use T-Mobile's 5G network. However, this means that Sprint customers who own an older version of the Sprint phone will be redirected back to LTE because it doesn't work on T-Mobile's network. Sprint's coverage maps no longer show 5G. Customers who still make payments on Sprint 5G devices such as the Galaxy S10 5G or LG V50 ThinQ smartphones, or the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G can upgrade to a Galaxy S20 at a discounted rate. T-Mobile also credits customers who purchased the HTC 5G hotspot.T-Mobile 5G Layer Cake T-Mobile, the largest 5G network, is currently building a nationwide network using low-band and middle-band spectrum. Customers don't have to pay extra to join it. T-Mobile 5G is available to all customers with a phone and coverage. T-Mobile offers 5G.AT&T 5G:Source: Android CentralAT&T has an impressive list of cities that have 5G coverage. AT&T launched most of its 5G network to businesses. AT&T began with millimeter wave and launched its nationwide 5G network using its 850MHz spectrum. In some areas, it also uses DSS. AT&T's LTE network speeds are outstanding and the network is quickly caught up to T-Mobile's sub-6 5G. AT&T uses DSS to share spectrum with its 5G network. This will allow towers access to spectrum when they are needed, and facilitate a smooth transition from LTE to 5G. A partnership with NTT DOCOMO has allowed AT&T to offer 5G roaming service in Japan. You will need the Unlimited Elite plan or Unlimited Extra plan to get 5G access if you are on AT&T. Although there will be some improvements over LTE with this 850Mhz 5G network, it won't reach the super-fast speeds that we have seen with millimeter wave. The 850Mhz deployment will have better coverage than mmWave, and should be faster than 4GLTE. AT&T added 5G access to its Unlimited Started plan on August 7, 2020. AT&T's standard coverage maps now show 5G, making it easier to see the extent of coverage. These maps can take some time to update so make sure you check the complete list. Source: Cricket Prepaid AT&T MVNO Cricket Wireless supports 5G both on its unlimited plan and its data-only plans. Cricket is an option if you don't need AT&T 5G. Arizona Phoenix 5G+ mmWave Cities CoverageCalifornia Los Angeles Menlo Park Oakland Redwood City San Bruno San Diego San Francisco San Jose West HollywoodFlorida Jacksonville Miami Miami Gardens Orlando TampaGeorgia AtlantaIndiana IndianapolisIllinois ChicagoKentucky LouisvilleLouisiana New OrleansMaryland Baltimore Ocean CityMichigan DetroitNorth Carolina Charlotte RaleighNevada Las VegasNew York CityOhio ClevelandOklahoma Oklahoma CityPennsylvania King of Prussia PhiladelphiaTennessee NashvilleTexas Austin Dallas Houston San Antonio WacoWisconsin MilwaukeeAirports Florida Tampa International AirportArenas and Venues California Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Oracle Park – San FranciscoColorado Ball Arena - DenverFlorida Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Raymond James Stadium TampaGeorgia Mercedes-Benz Stadium - AtlantaIllinois United Center - ChicagoIndiana Lucas Oil Stadium - IndianapolisLouisiana Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New OrleansMinnesota U.S. Bank Stadium, MinneapolisNevada Las Vegas Convention Center - Las VegasNorth Carolina Bank of America Stadium at Charlotte Spectrum Center - CharlotteTexas AT&T Dallas Stadium - Arlington AT&T Center - San Antonio Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center - Dallas Toyota Center - HoustonUtah Vivint Arena, Salt Lake CityWisconsin American Family Field – Milwaukee Fiserv ForumAT&T's FirstNet program will make 5G+ available to first responders. This program will keep first responders connected to AT&T's 5G network and the LTE network. The system is designed so that it always finds the fastest connection. FirstNet can maintain interoperability and ensure first responders are connected no matter what network or device they use. 5GE is not 5G. If you own an AT&T phone, your phone will indicate a 5GE connection regardless of whether you don't have a plan or a phone that supports 5G. 5GE is not 5G. A carrier must have a fast fiber connection and high-end equipment in order to deploy 5G. Although technically 5GE is LTE, it uses the latest hardware and offers the best possible scenario. Although you may experience speeds that are faster than the typical LTE 5GE connection, the truth is it is still good 4G LTE. AT&T may have stopped advertising this name in recent years, but LTE users might still see it popping up in certain areas. 5GE is the most powerful LTE phone and should deliver outstanding performance.AT&T 5G coverage 5G Low-band, mmWave and AT&T's 5G network are working together AT&T's 5G Network has been playing catchup with sub-6 competitors but is closing that gap fast and now covers more than 230,000,000 people in the US. AT&T
