If you’re in search of a new cell phone plan, you may have come across Boost Mobile and its low-cost cell phone plans.
A budget-friendly carrier like Boost Mobile can save you over $500 per year on your cell phone bill.
However, you may be wondering if Boost Mobile’s coverage will meet your expectations.
In this article, we will explore Boost Mobile's coverage and compare it to other major carriers to help you make an informed decision.
Boost Mobile Coverage
Boost Mobile is a prepaid cell phone carrier, also known as an MVNO, that is owned by Dish.
Boost Mobile uses a few different cellular networks to provide service.
Most new activations are on the T-Mobile network. However, Boost Mobile can also use the AT&T and Dish networks for coverage.
In this article, we will be focusing on Boost Mobile’s coverage on the T-Mobile network, because that is the network most new customers will be put on.
You can check Boost Mobile coverage in your area by using the interactive coverage maps below.
The first map is the Estimated Coverage Map. It shows where Boost Mobile customers can expect to get service. The map uses signal strength data made available by the FCC.
The second map is our crowdsourced map of Boost Mobile’s coverage.
It shows you what kind of data speeds and performance you can expect to see on Boost Mobile in different areas.
The data for the crowdsourced map comes from real customers running speed tests. Everyone is invited to contribute to the map to help make it more accurate. Here's how to contribute, if you're interested.
Check Boost Mobile coverage in your area by using the maps below and by using the search bar:
Boost Mobile Coverage Quick Stats
- Carrier: Boost Mobile
- Network: T-Mobile
- Total area covered: 35%
- Total square miles covered: 1,279,933
- 5G area covered: 26%
- 5G square miles covered: 910,378
The above coverage data comes from the FCC.
Currently, the network that covers the most land 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, like the vast wilderness of Alaska (17.5% of the land area of the United States) don’t get covered with cell service.
We calculated the total square miles covered by Boost Mobile by taking the total coverage area and multiplying it by total square miles of the United States, which was measured as 3,805,927 square miles by the United States Census Bureau.
What network does Boost Mobile use?
Boost Mobile primarily uses T-Mobile’s 4G LTE and 5G networks for coverage.
Dish, the parent company of Boost Mobile, also has an agreement with AT&T.
Most customers will be activated on the T-Mobile network, but it is also possible for some customers to be activated on the AT&T network, too.
The third network Boost Mobile uses for coverage is the Dish Wireless 5G network.
It is uncommon for Boost Mobile customers to connect to the Dish Wireless 5G network though, because it requires certain devices and a special SIM card.
For this article, we will be focusing on Boost Mobile’s coverage and performance on the T-Mobile network, as that is the network most customers will be placed on.
Boost Mobile 5G Coverage
Boost Mobile uses T-Mobile’s 5G network for coverage.
T-Mobile 5G covers over 98% of Americans.
Boost Mobile is able to fully use both T-Mobile’s Extended Range 5G network and T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G network.
T-Mobile’s Extended Range 5G covers over 325 million Americans. It also covers over 90% of the U.S. highway miles. It is the second largest 5G network in the United States right now.
T-Mobile’s Ultra Capacity 5G network covers 265 million Americans. It delivers fast 5G speeds. The excellent performance on the Ultra Capacity 5G network is one of the main reasons T-Mobile ranks as having the fastest speeds in most locations in our Coverage Search tool.
Boost Mobile customers will enjoy the same great 5G coverage and fast 5G speeds as T-Mobile customers.
Boost Mobile LTE Coverage
Boost Mobile offers nationwide LTE coverage on T-Mobile’s LTE network.
T-Mobile’s nationwide LTE network covers 99% of Americans.
Boost Mobile vs. Verizon Coverage
Boost Mobile has a bit worse coverage than Verizon.
Boost Mobile covers 35% of the U.S. and Verizon covers an impressive 55% of the U.S.
However, when it comes to 5G, Boost Mobile covers a substantially larger area.
Boost Mobile has over double the 5G coverage as Verizon. Boost Mobile covers 26% of the U.S. with 5G and over 323 million people. Verizon's 5G reaches an impressive 230 million people, but it covers just 12% of the U.S.
Boost Mobile also has over double the data speeds as Verizon.
According to Ookla's latest report, Boost Mobile got a median download speeds of 164.76 Mbps.
Verizon achieved just 72.61 Mbps for its median download speed.
Both carriers got median upload speeds between 9 Mbps and 15 Mbps. There likely won’t be too much difference in upload performance between the two carriers.
If you live in a city, both Boost Mobile and Verizon will likely perform great.
If you travel outside of cities or in more rural areas, you may find you have a bit less coverage on Boost Mobile than on Verizon.
That said, Boost Mobile has substantially more 5G coverage which helps it deliver faster data speeds.
Check Verizon coverage to see how it performs in your area.
Boost Mobile vs. AT&T
Boost Mobile has a bit less coverage than AT&T.
Boost Mobile covers 35% of the U.S. while AT&T currently has the most coverage out of all the carriers and covers 55% of the U.S.
Boost Mobile also has a bit less 5G coverage than AT&T.
AT&T offers 5G coverage across 31% of the U.S. Boost Mobile currently covers 26% of the U.S. with 5G.
Boost Mobile is way faster than AT&T though.
According to Ookla, Boost Mobile’s median speeds were 164.76 Mbps for download speeds and 12.53 Mbps for upload speeds.
AT&T had the slowest speeds of all the carriers. It got just 66.15 Mbps for download speeds and 7.32 for upload speeds.
Both Boost Mobile and AT&T will likely perform well in cities, with Boost Mobile offering measurably faster data speeds. When it comes to getting service outside of cities in more rural areas, AT&T may be a better option thanks to its larger overall coverage footprint.
Check AT&T coverage to see how it performs in your area.
Boost Mobile Coverage Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boost Mobile coverage good?
Yes, Boost Mobile 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.
Does Boost Mobile offer 5G?
Yes. Boost Mobile customers can enjoy 5G service on AT&T's 5G network.
Boost Mobile will soon also use Dish's 5G network for additional coverage.
Does Boost Mobile have coverage in Canada?
Yes. Boost Mobile 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.
Does Boost Mobile have coverage in Mexico?
Yes. Boost Mobile 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.
Does Boost Mobile have international coverage?
Outside of Canada and Mexico, Boost Mobile does not offer international coverage.