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Who Has the Best 5G Coverage?

See which wireless provider offers the best 5G coverage in your area.

By Brianne Sandorf

Jan 26, 2026

3 min read

Edited ByKelly Huh

The U.S. has three cell phone networks (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T), but which has the best 5G coverage, and is it available in your area?

For many, T-Mobile’s excellent network offers the best 5G coverage. However, it may not be the best 5G option for you. Depending on where you live, T-Mobile might not even offer 5G coverage at your place.

To know which provider offers the best 5G coverage in your area, you can look at provider coverage maps. Read on, and I’ll tell you more.

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Carrier coverage comparison

All three networks have their good points. I consider T-Mobile the overall best 5G network option, but it’s not your only choice.

T-Mobile has the largest 5G network with the best 5G speeds. Meanwhile, Verizon customers tend to say they have the best 5G experience with streaming videos or playing games, and Verizon also has a robust 4G network to fill in the gaps when 5G isn’t available.

Carrier 5G and 4G LTE coverage comparison

Carrier	5G coverage (by land area)	4G LTE coverage (by land area)
T-Mobile	~49% (largest 5G network)	~62%
AT&T	~41%	~68%
Verizon	~21%	~70% (largest 4G network)

Source: WhistleOut

T-Mobile 5G coverage map

T-Mobile has the best 5G coverage, so you should sign up for it, right? Well, not necessarily. T-Mobile’s 5G coverage may not be available at your home or workplace, so before you buy, you want to check the T-Mobile coverage map.

Image of T-Mobile coverage across the United States

Screenshot of the official T-Mobile coverage map and search tool

What is 5G Ultra Capacity (UC)?

5G Ultra Capacity is the name that T-Mobile gives to the part of its 5G network using mid-to-high-band 5G frequencies. (In other words, the part that most quickly downloads big files and other data.)

What is 5G Extended Range?

In contrast, 5G Extended Range is what T-Mobile calls the lower-frequency part of its 5G network, which makes up the majority of T-Mobile 5G infrastructure.

Verizon 5G coverage map

Verizon’s 5G coverage isn’t available in as many places as T-Mobile’s, but it works really well, especially for gaming and streaming.

Part of Verizon’s interactive coverage map, highlighting most of the United States

Screenshot of the official Verizon coverage map and search tool

What is 5G Ultra Wideband?

5G Ultra Wideband is similar to T-Mobile’s 5G UC: It’s Verizon’s fastest and most responsive 5G service.

What is 5G Nationwide?

5G Nationwide is what Verizon calls its slower, more basic 5G coverage. 5G Nationwide is more comparable to 4G LTE than to 5G Ultra Wideband.

AT&T 5G coverage map

Your final 5G option is AT&T’s 5G network. AT&T’s 5G network doesn’t garner as much attention as its competitors’, but it’s a perfectly usable option (as I can personally attest).

Part of AT&T’s interactive coverage map, highlighting most of the United States, some of Canada, and Central America

Screenshot of the official AT&T coverage map and search tool

What is 5G+?

Like 5G UC, AT&T’s 5G+ uses mid- and high-band frequencies for better service.

What is AT&T 5G?

AT&T 5G is the portion of AT&T’s 5G service that operates on the low-band spectrum.

How to check 5G coverage in your area

If you want to check 5G coverage in your area, here’s how to approach it.

1. Check all three carrier maps

You should start your quest for 5G service by looking at all three carrier coverage maps, not just one. Your area might get better coverage from one carrier than another. Or, if you live in a low-traffic area, it’s possible that only one carrier will offer coverage at your location.

2. Use third-party maps

Don’t just look at official carrier maps; sometimes those maps are inaccurate. You should also check out third-party coverage maps, like the FCC National Broadband Map or Ookla’s crowdsourced maps (if you have the Speedtest app).

3. Ask around

I find asking others is the best way to find the ultimate 5G coverage in your neighborhood. Ask your neighbors or visitors to your home how their 5G reception is in the area. I’ve even asked my spouse how his T-Mobile coverage is at our place (I’m on AT&T).

5G coverage for MVNOs

What about 5G coverage with mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) carriers? MVNOs use other carrier networks, so your 5G choices are still T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.

For instance:

Mint Mobile, Tello, and Google Fi use the T-Mobile network
Visible and US Mobile use the Verizon network
Cricket Wireless and Consumer Cellular use the AT&T network

Frequently asked questions about 5G coverage (FAQ)

T-Mobile currently has the largest 5G network in the United States.

T-Mobile currently offers the fastest 5G service in the United States.

You can check 5G coverage in your area by looking at coverage maps and asking neighbors how their 5G service is around town.

Verizon 5G isn’t better than T-Mobile 5G. Verizon 5G isn’t as widespread or as fast as T-Mobile 5G, although customers report that it performs really well.

5G UC (Ultra Capacity), 5G UW (Ultra Wide), and 5G+ are all more or less the same thing (5G operating on mid- and high-band frequencies), just provided through different networks.

Written by

Brianne Sandorf

After five years with Reviews.org, Brianne can and will tell you which internet or mobile provider you should sign up for. She’s talked with internet customers across the U.S. and beyond and addresses their real-life concerns in every piece she writes. Brianne also created the ratings system for the Reviews.org internet service provider reviews and wrote most of them. Brianne channels her lifelong interest in detective work by hunting for obscure, need-to-know information about internet service providers. She’s always learning so that she can pass her knowledge on to Reviews.org readers. Her writing and expertise have appeared in numerous other publications, including Move.org, Parents.com, and the Stanford student blog. Her work for Reviews.org is also cited in a research paper about smart home assistants titled “Expert-Generated Privacy Q&A Dataset for Conversational AI and User Study Insights.” Brianne is a homegrown Utahn who loves to travel and see new places. She graduated from Westminster College with a double major in honors and creative writing. After 20 years in a 8,000-person city, she now lives in Murray, a bustling metropolis of 50,000 where she and her husband raise their two little girls.