Best Cell Phone Coverage in Shelby County, MO

Stetson Doggett
by
Stetson Doggett
|
Updated:
May 23, 2024

What carrier is best in Shelby County, MO?

We used data from our crowd-source speed test map and signal strength data from the FCC to rank the best carriers in Shelby County, MO:

AT&T
icon of cell tower
Coverage
96
%
icon of a speedometer
Median Download Speed
32.3
Mbps
Reliability
10
/10
Verizon
icon of cell tower
Coverage
98.6
%
icon of a speedometer
Median Download Speed
62.7
 Mbps
Reliability
7.2
/10
UScellular
icon of cell tower
Coverage
79.4
%
icon of a speedometer
Median Download Speed
0
 Mbps
Reliability
7.3
/10
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2GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
10
/mo
+tax
tax included
2GB
high-speed, then data stops
2GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
T-Mobile coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then 128Kbps
Deprioritized
Included hotspot
4K video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then data stops
5GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Visible Base
Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
Unlimited
high-speed
Deprioritized
5Mbps hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Starter
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
35GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
35GB priority on Verizon
10GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited
T-Mobile coverage
$
30
/mo
+tax
tax included
40GB
high-speed, then 512Kbps
Deprioritized
10GB hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Premium
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
44
/mo
+tax
tax included
100GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
100GB priority on Verizon
50GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Visible+
Verizon coverage
$
45
/mo
+tax
tax included
Unlimited
high-speed
50GB Premium
5Mbps hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts

Get the Free Coverage Map App

Measure your cellular data speeds. Compare cellular coverage. Completely free.

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Coverage Map app

Shelby County Cellular Coverage Map

Want to see an interactive map of cell coverage in Shelby County?

Click or tap the image below to launch a full-screen interactive coverage map created with crowdsourced data.

You can also download our free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android.

If you choose to contribute data to the map by running a speed test in our free application, then you are helping to build more accurate coverage maps for everyone, so thank you!

Click to open the interactive Speed Test Map

The Carrier with the Most Coverage in Shelby County, MO

If you want coverage in the most places in Shelby County, MO, what carrier is best?

The answer is simple: Verizon.

Verizon has the most coverage in Shelby County, MO. Its 4G LTE and 5G networks cover 98.6% of the county. 

You can further break Verizon's coverage down into areas with good, great, or poor reception.

Here's the full breakdown of Verizon coverage in Shelby County, MO:

  • Total coverage area: 98.6%
  • Great reception: 38.3%
  • Good reception: 33.9%
  • Poor reception: 26.4%
  • No coverage: 1.4%
Great (38.3%)
Good (33.9%)
Poor(26.4%)
None (1.4%)
Verizon Coverage

The network with the second best coverage in Shelby County, MO is AT&T

AT&T covers 96% of the county with its 4G LTE and 5G networks.

But how good is the quality of the coverage on AT&T?

Here are the full details of AT&T's coverage in Shelby County, MO:

  • Total coverage area: 96%
  • Great reception: 38.9%
  • Good reception: 33.7%
  • Poor reception: 23.4%
  • No coverage: 4%
Great (38.9%)
Good ( 33.7%)
Poor (23.4%)
None (4%)
AT&T Coverage

UScellular is the third best option in Shelby County, MO.

Its 4G LTE and 5G networks cover 79.4% of the county.

How good is the quality of coverage?

Here is how the quality of UScellular's coverage is broken down in Shelby County, MO:

  • Total coverage area: 79.4%
  • Great reception: 27.2%
  • Good reception: 22.2%
  • Poor reception: 30%
  • No coverage: 20.6%
Great (27.2%)
Good (22.2%)
Poor (30%)
None (20.6%)
UScellular Coverage

But how do Verizon, AT&T, and UScellular compare side-by-side in terms of overall coverage and reception quality in Shelby County, MO?

Use the comparison below to see how the three carriers stack up:

Cell Phone Coverage Comparison in Shelby County

Verizon Coverage
AT&T Coverage
UScellular Coverage

Coverage Key:
Great reception
Good reception
Poor reception
No reception

Best Cellular Data Speeds in Shelby County, MO

Getting great coverage is one thing.

But what is the point of having great coverage if your data speeds are slow and your apps take forever to load?

There is probably not much point at all.

To help you out, we analyzed the data from our crowd-sourced speed test map, where users upload speed tests performed on each of the carriers, to determine what carrier has the fastest data speeds in Shelby County, MO.

Here is what we found:

  • Verizon has the fastest speeds in Shelby County. Its median download speed is 62.7 Mbps. Its median upload speed is 11.2 Mbps.
  • AT&T is in second place. It has a median performance of 32.3 Mbps for download speeds and 15.5 Mbps for upload.
  • UScellular has the slowest speeds in Shelby County. Its median download speed is 0 Mbps. For upload speeds, UScellular got 0 Mbps.

Compare the performance on all three carriers below:

Download Speed Comparison

32.3 Mbps
AT&T
62.7 Mbps
Verizon
0 Mbps
UScellular

Upload Speed Comparison

15.5 Mbps
AT&T
11.2 Mbps
Verizon
0 Mbps
UScellular

What Affects Data Speeds?

Data speeds can be affected by various factors, including network congestion, signal strength, device capabilities, and the technology used by the service provider.

You might experience slower data speeds during peak hours when many people are using the network simultaneously, or in areas with weak cellular coverage.

Best Cell Phone Plans in Shelby County

Okay, now that you know the carrier with the best coverage and fastest data speeds in Shelby County, MO, what cell phone plan should you sign up for?

There are a few great options.

And some of them can save you a LOT of money.

But how?

It turns out that the big carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, are known as MNOs, or mobile network operators. They build and operate their own networks by putting up cell towers, laying fiber optic cable, and purchasing spectrum licenses from the FCC.

The MNOs will also sell access to their networks to MVNOs.

What is an MVNO?

An MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, is any carrier that does not own its own wireless network. Instead, these small carriers purchase network access from AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.

Popular examples of MVNOs include Mint Mobile, Boost Mobile, and Visible.

Why is this important to you?

Understanding MVNOS is important because it means you can sign up for service on an MVNO and get the exact same coverage as one of the major carriers. Whichever major carrier the MVNO has an agreement with is the underlying network you will use for coverage.

MVNOs can also save you a LOT of money, too, because they have more affordable plans.

In addition to negotiating low wholesale rates for network access from the major carriers, MVNOs also use other cost-saving strategies such as operating online only to pass additional savings on to consumers.

Would you save money by signing up for an MVNO?

See for yourself by comparing some highlighted plan options on each of the major networks below:

2GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
10
/mo
+tax
tax included
2GB
high-speed, then data stops
2GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then data stops
5GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Starter
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
35GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
35GB priority on Verizon
10GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Premium
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
44
/mo
+tax
tax included
100GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
100GB priority on Verizon
50GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
2GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
10
/mo
+tax
tax included
2GB
high-speed, then data stops
2GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
T-Mobile coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then 128Kbps
Deprioritized
Included hotspot
4K video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then data stops
5GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Starter
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
35GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
35GB priority on Verizon
10GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited
T-Mobile coverage
$
30
/mo
+tax
tax included
40GB
high-speed, then 512Kbps
Deprioritized
10GB hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Premium
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
44
/mo
+tax
tax included
100GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
100GB priority on Verizon
50GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
2GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
10
/mo
+tax
tax included
2GB
high-speed, then data stops
2GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
5GB
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
15
/mo
+tax
tax included
5GB
high-speed, then data stops
5GB priority on Verizon
Included hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Visible Base
Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
Unlimited
high-speed
Deprioritized
5Mbps hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Starter
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
25
/mo
+tax
tax included
35GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
35GB priority on Verizon
10GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Unlimited Premium
AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon coverage
$
44
/mo
+tax
tax included
100GB
high-speed, then 1Mbps
100GB priority on Verizon
50GB hotspot
720p HD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Visible+
Verizon coverage
$
45
/mo
+tax
tax included
Unlimited
high-speed
50GB Premium
5Mbps hotspot
480p SD video streaming
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts

Frequently Asked Questions

What carrier has the best cell phone service in Shelby County?

AT&T has the best overall cell phone service in Shelby County. It offers the best balance between coverage, data speeds, and reliability.

What carrier has the most coverage in Shelby County?

Verizon has the most coverage in Shelby County. It covers 98.6% of the county.

What carrier has the fastest speeds in Shelby County?

Verizon has the fastest speeds in Shelby County. Its median download speeds are 62.7 Mbps and its median upload speeds are 11.2 Mbps.

How is the Reliability Score calculated?

The Reliability Score is on a scale from 0 to 10. The goal for the Reliability Score is to estimate how likely you'll have a usable connection when you have service.

To calculate the Reliability score, we look at the bottom 10%, 5% and 1% of data speeds in a given area. The download speeds are weighted at 50% of the score. Upload speeds are weighted at 20% of the score.

We also look at latency to calculate the Reliability Score.

Latency is a measurement of how long it takes a data packet to travel from the sender to the receiver. You can think of latency as answering the question, "how much delay is there in the network?"

If there is high latency (30ms to 100ms), it takes a long time for data packets to be sent and received by your phone. Your connection may feel slow or "laggy."

If there is low latency (under 30ms), your connection will feel fast and responsive.

Latency is weighted at 30% of the Reliability Score.

Where does CoverageMap.com get its coverage and speed data from?

CoverageMap.com gets different data from different sources.

The overall coverage and signal strength data comes from the FCC's mobile broadband map.

The information about data speeds and network performance comes from community members contributing speed test results to our crowd-sourced coverage map. If you are interested in contributing to the project and helping to build better, more accurate coverage maps for everyone, you can learn more here.

Check Coverage in Shelby County