If you’re looking for a new cell phone plan, you may have come across Consumer Cellular and its affordable prices.
Consumer Cellular’s low-cost plans range from $20 to $50 per month and can save you over $500 per year on your cell phone bill.
However, you may wonder if Consumer Cellular’s coverage will meet your expectations.
In this article, we will explore the coverage provided by Consumer Cellular and compare it to other major carriers to help you make an informed decision.
Consumer Cellular is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses AT&T for coverage.
By using AT&T’s existing 4G LTE and 5G networks instead of building their own network, Consumer Cellular is able to save on costs and offer more affordable cell phone plans.
So how good, exactly, is Consumer Cellular’s coverage?
Consumer Cellular’s coverage will be however good AT&T service is in your area.
Check Consumer Cellular coverage in your area by entering your address in the search bar in the Estimated Coverage Map and Verified Coverage Maps below:
The above data comes from the FCC’s National Broadband Map.
The network with the largest coverage 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 Consumer Cellular’s network by multiplying the percentage of area Consumer Cellular covers (55%) by the total area of the United States, which is 3,805,927 square miles as reported by the United States Census Bureau.
Consumer Cellular uses AT&T’s nationwide 4G LTE and 5G networks to provide service.
Because Consumer Cellular rides on AT&T towers for service, coverage will be the same between the two carriers.
Consumer Cellular provides 5G coverage using AT&T’s nationwide 5G network.
AT&T’s 5G network covers an impressive 31% of the United States, making it the largest 5G network. T-Mobile and Verizon’s 5G networks cover just 26% and 12% of the United States, respectively.
Over 285 million people are covered by AT&T 5G.
Consumer Cellular rides on AT&T’s robust nationwide LTE network for coverage.
AT&T’s LTE network covers over 99% of the U.S. population, so you’re likely to have service in your area.
Consumer Cellular Coverage is similar to Verizon’s coverage.
Consumer Cellular covers 55% of the U.S. and Verizon also covers 55% of the U.S.
When it comes to 5G coverage though, things are a little different.
Consumer Cellular has almost three times as much 5G coverage as Verizon does.
You can find 5G coverage on Consumer Cellular across 31% of the U.S., while Verizon’s 5G network covers just 12% of the U.S.
See our Verizon coverage map for more information about Verizon coverage in your area.
Consumer Cellular uses AT&T’s network for service, so coverage is the same between the two carriers.
If you’d like more information about AT&T coverage in your area, you can check out AT&T’s coverage map here.
Consumer Cellular has better coverage than T-Mobile.
Consumer Cellular covers 55% of the U.S. while T-Mobile covers just 35%.
5G is also available in more places on Consumer Cellular. Consumer Cellular 5G covers 31% of the U.S. compared to T-Mobile 5G, which covers just 26%.
Consumer Cellular is a bit slower than T-Mobile though.
According to Ookla, T-Mobile’s median download and upload speeds were 151.37 Mbps and 12.53 Mbps, respectively.
Consumer Cellular got 65.57 Mbps for its median download speed and 7.98 Mbps for its median upload speed.
Both Consumer Cellular 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, Consumer Cellular may be a better option thanks to its bigger overall coverage footprint.
Check T-Mobile coverage in your area using our T-Mobile coverage map.
Scroll left or right to view more data. This data is from the FCC.
Yes, coverage on Consumer Cellular is good. Consumer Cellular uses AT&T for coverage, and AT&T covers over 99% of Americans with its LTE network. AT&T also has the largest 5G network of any carrier right now.
Yes. Consumer Cellular provides 5G coverage on AT&T's 5G network.
Yes, Consumer Cellular offers coverage in Canada at pay-per-use rates. Currently Consumer Cellular charges $0.01 to $0.06 per minute, $0.01 to $0.06 per text, and $0.01 to $0.06 per MB of data ($60 per GB) for use in Canada.
Yes, Consumer Cellular offers coverage in Canada at pay-per-use rates. Currently Consumer Cellular charges $0.01 to $0.06 per minute, $0.01 to $0.06 per text, and $0.01 to $0.06 per MB of data ($60 per GB) for use in Canada.
Consumer Cellular offers coverage internationally at pay-per-use rates. However, some of the rates are quite expensive. You may want to consider other options for cellular data while traveling abroad.