Who has the best coverage? New FCC data compares Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T in every state
The FCC released data comparing Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T's coverage. Verizon leads in 4G LTE coverage with 60%, followed by AT&T at 57% and T-Mobile at 45%. For 5G coverage, T-Mobile ranks first, AT&T second, and Verizon third. The FCC's National Broadband Map allows users to check coverage by address, comparing speeds and providers. The map includes data for 2025 and is regularly updated.
(NEXSTAR) – Cell providers all claim to have the best coverage, fastest speeds or most reliability in their ad campaigns. But who really comes out on top?
Data released last month by the Federal Communications Commission allows you to put providers head-to-head and see who has the best data coverage where you live.
If you’re looking nationally, it’s a pretty tight race for the top spot. When comparing the three biggest providers – Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T – on their 4G LTE coverage, Verizon lands in first place by a hair. It has 60% of the country covered, AT&T has 57% and T-Mobile has 45%.
When you compare 5G coverage, however, the rankings shift. T-Mobile comes in first place for 5G data coverage, AT&T is second and Verizon is third.
The FCC tracks two speeds of 5G coverage: 7/1 Mbps and the faster 35/3 Mbps. The maps below show each cell provider’s coverage for the fastest 5G speeds when someone is outdoors and standing still. The coverage for people trying to use data in a moving car drops substantially across the board.
How to check coverage near you
The FCC National Broadband Map allows you to type in your address and dive into the connectivity data at your address. You can compare speeds for when you’re outdoors and stationary versus in a moving vehicle, 4G versus 5G, and check out the coverage from smaller cell companies.
To make it easier, we’ve created three shortcuts for you: a map that compares 4G coverage, a map that compares the lower tier of 5G coverage, and a map that compares the highest tier of 5G coverage.
You can click one of the links above to open a map, zoom in to where you live, and toggle between the three major providers using the settings on the right side.
You can also start from square one by putting your address in here, clicking the Mobile Broadband option on the right-hand side, and the Provider Detail tab at the top. From there, you can add providers to compare.
With the update released in November, the FCC map now shows data for 2025. The FCC refreshes the map regularly to reflect changes in coverage.
