If you’re looking for a new cell phone plan, you may have come across Boost Infinite and its affordable cell phone plan.
A budget-friendly carrier like Boost Infinite can save you upwards of $500 per year on your cell phone bill.
However, when considering a new carrier, it's essential to investigate not only pricing but also the quality of the coverage they offer.
In this article, we will explore Boost Infinite's coverage and compare it to other major carriers to help you make an informed decision.
Boost Infinite is owned by Dish.
It is a postpaid carrier that is meant to compete directly with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
Boost Infinite will eventually use Dish's own 5G network for coverage and service. However, Dish is still in the process of building out their network, so it's not available to use quite yet. In the meantime, Boost Infinite is using AT&T's network for coverage.
You can check Boost Infinite coverage in your area by using the maps below.
The first map is the Estimated Coverage Map.
The Estimated Coverage Map was created using coverage data made available by the FCC.
The second map is the Verified Coverage Map. This map was created from over 1.6 million speed tests submitted by community members who wanted to report accurate coverage in their area. If you're interested, you can learn more about how to contribute to the map here.
Check coverage in your area by using the search bar in the coverage maps below:
The above data comes from the FCC, which displays what percentage of area each carrier covers in the United States.
Currently, the network that covers the most area covers just 55% of the U.S. This number may seem low, but it’s because large areas of rural land where no one lives, such as the vast wilderness of Alaska (17.5% of the land area of the United States), don’t get covered with cell service.
We calculate the total square miles covered by AT&T’s network by multiplying the percentage of area AT&T covers by the total area of the United States, which was reported as 3,805,927 by the United States Census Bureau.
Boost Infinite rides on AT&T's 4G LTE and 5G networks for coverage.
Dish, the parent company of Boost Infinite, also has an agreement with T-Mobile.
It's possible Boost Infinite may use the T-Mobile network in the future to provide service where the AT&T network doesn't have service.
Additionally, Boost Infinite will definitely use Dish's 5G network for service once the network is ready.
Boost Infinite uses AT&T's 5G network for coverage.
Luckily for Boost Infinite customers, AT&T has the largest 5G coverage area currently available.
AT&T 5G covers over 285 million people, or over 85% of the U.S. population. It also covers 31% of the land area of the U.S., which is more than both T-Mobile (26%) and Verizon (12%).
AT&T primarily uses low-band 5G to achieve such a big coverage area.
Low-band 5G gets about the same data speeds as LTE.
You're less likely to see impressive multi-gigabit speeds when connected to 5G on Boost Infinite, but you'll have 5G coverage in more places than with other carriers.
Boost Infinite offers nationwide LTE coverage on AT&T's LTE network.
AT&T's LTE network covers over 99% of the U.S. population.
Boost Infinite's coverage is similar to Verizon's coverage.
Boost Infinite covers 55% of the U.S. and Verizon also covers 55% of the U.S.
When it comes to 5G coverage, it's an entirely different story.
Boost Infinite has much more 5G coverage than Verizon does.
Boost Infinite covers 31% of the U.S. with 5G and over 285 million people. Verizon's 5G coverage reaches an impressive 230 million people, but it only covers 12% of the U.S.
Data speeds are similar between Boost Infinite and Verizon.
According to Ookla's latest report, both carriers got around 65-70 Mbps for their median download speeds, and around 7-10 Mbps for median upload speeds.
You can check Verizon coverage in your area here.
Boost Infinite has a bit better coverage than T-Mobile.
Boost Infinite covers 55% of the U.S. while T-Mobile covers just 35%.
You'll also get 5G in more places on Boost Infinite.
Boost Infinite 5G covers 31% of the U.S. and T-Mobile 5G covers 26%.
However, T-Mobile has faster download and upload speeds than Boost Infinite.
According to Ookla, T-Mobile’s median download and upload speeds were 151.37 Mbps and 12.53 Mbps, respectively.
AT&T, which is what Boost Infinite is using for service, got 65.57 Mbps for its median download speed and 7.98 Mbps for its median upload speed.
Both Boost Infinite and T-Mobile will likely perform well in cities, with T-Mobile offering slightly faster data speeds. When it comes to getting service outside of cities in more rural areas, Boost Infinite may be a better option thanks to its bigger overall coverage footprint.
You can check T-Mobile coverage in your area here.
This data is from the FCC.
This speed test data comes from our community-contributed coverage map.
Boost Infinite currently runs off AT&T's towers. In the near future, Boost Infinite will likely also use Dish's towers.
Yes, Boost Infinite coverage is good. It uses AT&T for coverage, and AT&T covers over 99% of Americans with its LTE network and has the largest 5G network of any carrier right now.
Yes. Boost Infinite customers can enjoy 5G service on AT&T's 5G network.
Boost Infinite will soon also use Dish's 5G network for additional coverage.
Yes. Boost Infinite includes unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 1GB of data at 3G speeds in Canada. An additional 5GB data pass in Canada is also available to purchase.
Yes. Boost Infinite includes unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 1GB of data at 3G speeds in Mexico. An additional 5GB data pass in Mexico is also available to purchase.
Outside of Canada and Mexico, Boost Infinite does not offer international coverage.