Tello Coverage Map

Does Tello have good cell coverage?

Stetson Doggett

Updated:

June 26, 2023

If you’re in search of a new cell phone plan, you may have come across Tello and its affordable pricing.

Tello’s low-cost $10 to $29 plans can save you over $500 per year on your cell phone bill.

However, you may wonder if Tello’s coverage will meet your expectations.

In this article, we will explore the coverage provided by Tello and compare it to other major carriers to help you make an informed decision.

Tello Coverage

Tello is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that runs on T-Mobile.

By using T-Mobile’s infrastructure, Tello is able to offer affordable plans without compromising on the quality of service.

Below, you can check Tello coverage in your area. The first map is an estimated coverage map. The second map

The second map is our community-contributed map of Tello’s coverage.

Over 1.6 million speed tests have been uploaded to the map by community members and Tello subscribers to help paint a more accurate picture of what coverage is like in your area. Everyone is invited to contribute to the map to help make it more accurate. Here's how to contribute, if you're interested.

Check Tello coverage in your area by using the search bar in the maps below:

Map Key:

Great coverage

Good coverage

Poor coverage

Great coverage = stream 4K videos, video call, use your phone to its fullest potential

Good coverage = stream 480p videos, browse social media, stream music, use the web

Poor coverage = make phone calls, send a text

*The Estimated Coverage Map is created with coverage data from the FCC

Tello Coverage Quick Stats

Network: T-Mobile
Total area covered: 35%
Total square miles covered: 1,343,492
5G area covered: 26%
5G square miles covered: 999,056

The above data comes from the FCC’s National Broadband Map.

What network does Tello use?

Tello uses T-Mobile’s 4G LTE and 5G networks to provide service.

Because Tello uses T-Mobile’s towers, its coverage is essentially the same as that of T-Mobile.

This means that Tello offers nationwide 4G LTE and 5G coverage.

Tello 5G Coverage

Tello offers nationwide 5G coverage on T-Mobile’s 5G network.

T-Mobile 5G currently covers 98% of the U.S. population, or about 323 million people.

You can check 5G coverage on Tello's self-published coverage map, here.

Tello 4G LTE Coverage

Tello offers nationwide 4G LTE coverage on T-Mobile’s extensive 4G LTE network.

T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network covers 99% of Americans, so odds are you’ll have service.

Tello vs. T-Mobile Coverage

Since Tello runs on the T-Mobile network, coverage is about the same between the two carriers.

The only difference is that Tello doesn’t include domestic roaming.

Domestic roaming is where your phone switches to a partner network for coverage in areas where your primary network doesn’t have service.

For example, T-Mobile customers will roam on the Viaero Wireless network for coverage in Nebraska because T-Mobile hasn’t fully built out towers in Nebraska just yet.

Unfortunately, Tello doesn’t get access to this roaming agreement, or others.

Tello coverage will be limited to what the native T-Mobile network offers.

You can see exactly where Tello offers coverage on their website.

Tello vs. AT&T Coverage

Tello coverage is a little bit worse than AT&T coverage.

AT&T covers more of the United States than Tello, with 55% total coverage compared to 35% total coverage.

However, both provide similar coverage footprints for 5G. Tello 5G covers 26% of the area in the US, while AT&T’s 5G network covers 31%.

Tello also has faster median download and upload speeds than AT&T, as reported by Ookla.

In March 2023, Tello got 165.22 Mbps for its median download speed and 12.99 Mbps for its median upload speed.

AT&T, meanwhile, got just 68.2 Mbps for its median download speed and 8.14 Mbps for its median upload speed.

In major cities, both Tello and AT&T will likely perform well. In more rural areas, AT&T may be a better option thanks to its wider coverage area.

If getting fast cellular speeds is important to you, Tello may be a better option.

You can see AT&T coverage in your area here.

Tello vs. Verizon Coverage

Tello’s coverage is a little bit worse than Verizon’s coverage.

Verizon covers a whopping 55% of the area in the US. Tello covers 35%.

That said, Tello has substantially more 5G coverage than Verizon does. Tello offers 26% 5G coverage compared to Verizon’s 12% 5G coverage.

Tello also boasts faster speeds than Verizon, getting median speeds of 165 Mbps down and 12.99 Mbps up according to Ookla’s latest report.

Verizon got median speeds of just 75.4 Mbps down and 9.87 Mbps up.

Both carriers will likely provide adequate coverage in major cities. Outside of cities, Verizon’s larger overall coverage area will make sure you have service.

However, if having faster data speeds is important to you, then Tello may be a better choice.

You can check Verizon coverage in your area here.

Tello Coverage by State

The below coverage data comes from the FCC:

Sate	Area Covered (sq km)	Total Percent Covered	Great Coverage	Good Coverage	Poor Coverage
Alaska	0	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Alabama	77,233	62.6%	23.4%	24.7%	14.5%
Arkansas	74,404	59.4%	17.8%	23.3%	18.3%
Arizona	105,436	39.3%	16.0%	13.5%	9.8%
California	186,985	48.5%	21.4%	16.5%	10.6%
Colorado	77,030	31.4%	9.8%	11.9%	9.7%
Connecticut	10,556	80.9%	45.6%	22.1%	13.2%
District of Columbia	179	98.6%	98.2%	0.4%	0.0%
Delaware	4,438	75.7%	31.0%	28.5%	16.3%
Florida	99,428	64.2%	29.2%	19.1%	16.0%
Georgia	95,876	68.5%	27.4%	24.7%	16.4%
Hawaii	7,031	27.3%	10.9%	9.5%	6.9%
Iowa	97,783	73.8%	20.4%	28.2%	25.2%
Idaho	70,595	35.9%	13.4%	13.4%	9.1%
Illinois	96,954	71.1%	26.3%	23.8%	21.0%
Indiana	72,771	84.9%	33.4%	30.2%	21.3%
Kansas	102,138	52.7%	12.7%	19.9%	20.2%
Kentucky	57,568	60.5%	22.4%	24.8%	13.3%
Louisiana	70,382	57.1%	19.6%	20.6%	16.9%
Massachusetts	17,201	69.2%	42.6%	16.0%	10.6%
Maryland	22,212	76.0%	38.9%	23.3%	13.9%
Maine	27,035	32.5%	10.6%	12.9%	8.9%
Michigan	84,507	37.1%	13.8%	13.7%	9.6%
Minnesota	125,736	61.4%	17.2%	23.1%	21.2%
Missouri	104,420	63.6%	20.2%	25.6%	17.8%
Mississippi	72,143	63.3%	17.4%	26.7%	19.1%
Montana	125,494	36.3%	10.3%	14.3%	11.6%
North Carolina	80,735	63.7%	25.8%	23.9%	14.1%
North Dakota	66,656	40.0%	7.7%	16.0%	16.3%
Nebraska	10,937	6.0%	1.5%	2.2%	2.4%
New Hampshire	13,342	60.6%	24.9%	21.8%	13.9%
New Jersey	17,371	84.6%	51.5%	19.3%	13.8%
New Mexico	159,521	55.7%	16.7%	22.5%	16.5%
Nevada	85,566	32.9%	12.5%	12.5%	7.9%
New York	75,537	58.8%	26.4%	20.6%	11.9%
Ohio	85,254	80.8%	35.8%	28.1%	16.9%
Oklahoma	105,776	64.3%	19.5%	25.2%	19.6%
Oregon	77,156	33.3%	14.0%	12.0%	7.3%
Pennsylvania	80,491	74.2%	36.6%	24.3%	13.3%
Rhode Island	2,659	73.1%	44.1%	16.8%	12.3%
South Carolina	56,738	75.3%	32.5%	26.5%	16.2%
South Dakota	79,636	43.9%	8.7%	18.0%	17.2%
Tennessee	61,784	62.3%	27.3%	21.8%	13.2%
Texas	319,601	50.5%	15.8%	18.2%	16.6%
Utah	81,087	40.6%	16.8%	14.8%	9.1%
Virginia	56,834	56.4%	22.2%	21.7%	12.5%
Vermont	10,537	46.5%	15.3%	19.1%	12.2%
Washington	75,843	45.2%	19.5%	15.7%	10.0%
Wisconsin	72,019	46.7%	16.5%	18.4%	11.9%
West Virginia	15,869	27.8%	10.0%	11.7%	6.1%
Wyoming	81,130	35.2%	8.4%	14.6%	12.2%

Tello Data Speeds by State

Here are the data speeds you can expect on Tello in each state. You can see average download speeds, upload speeds, and ping times. The below data comes from our community-contributed coverage map:

Sate	Average Download Speed	Average Upload Speed	Average Ping
Alaska	10.5 Mbps	12.8 Mbps	199.2 ms
Alabama	101.9 Mbps	16.5 Mbps	100. ms
Arkansas	80.9 Mbps	14.4 Mbps	96.2 ms
Arizona	97.3 Mbps	15.8 Mbps	66.1 ms
California	110.1 Mbps	20.5 Mbps	55.4 ms
Colorado	85.6 Mbps	16.3 Mbps	86.3 ms
Connecticut	155.1 Mbps	21.7 Mbps	57. ms
District of Columbia	181.6 Mbps	28.8 Mbps	99.5 ms
Delaware	99.3 Mbps	19.6 Mbps	42.7 ms
Florida	115.7 Mbps	18.5 Mbps	75.7 ms
Georgia	139.3 Mbps	19.5 Mbps	93.1 ms
Hawaii	91.8 Mbps	19.4 Mbps	105. ms
Iowa	86.9 Mbps	14.5 Mbps	66.6 ms
Idaho	106.1 Mbps	18.8 Mbps	113.7 ms
Illinois	117.1 Mbps	18.6 Mbps	56.2 ms
Indiana	157.8 Mbps	17.3 Mbps	68. ms
Kansas	109.9 Mbps	15.6 Mbps	87. ms
Kentucky	127.6 Mbps	17.5 Mbps	88.2 ms
Louisiana	107.5 Mbps	16.1 Mbps	82.1 ms
Massachusetts	113.4 Mbps	19.6 Mbps	57.7 ms
Maryland	102.1 Mbps	18.3 Mbps	78.8 ms
Maine	60.5 Mbps	14.4 Mbps	77.8 ms
Michigan	94.8 Mbps	16.1 Mbps	63.3 ms
Minnesota	108.2 Mbps	17.1 Mbps	65.1 ms
Missouri	115.2 Mbps	17. Mbps	83.3 ms
Mississippi	91. Mbps	14.6 Mbps	95.4 ms
Montana	66.5 Mbps	15.2 Mbps	161. ms
North Carolina	95.9 Mbps	18. Mbps	72.4 ms
North Dakota	77.7 Mbps	10.8 Mbps	52.1 ms
Nebraska	137.1 Mbps	17.6 Mbps	78.8 ms
New Hampshire	92. Mbps	17. Mbps	49.3 ms
New Jersey	131.1 Mbps	23.3 Mbps	48.7 ms
New Mexico	48.3 Mbps	15.7 Mbps	194.7 ms
Nevada	119.5 Mbps	23.5 Mbps	66. ms
New York	128.6 Mbps	21.3 Mbps	64.7 ms
Ohio	143. Mbps	18.2 Mbps	61.6 ms
Oklahoma	101.8 Mbps	17.1 Mbps	63.5 ms
Oregon	130. Mbps	16.8 Mbps	60.9 ms
Pennsylvania	109.6 Mbps	17.7 Mbps	54.3 ms
Rhode Island	214.5 Mbps	24.3 Mbps	39.3 ms
South Carolina	92. Mbps	19.6 Mbps	88. ms
South Dakota	80.9 Mbps	11.4 Mbps	56.8 ms
Tennessee	132.7 Mbps	15.3 Mbps	80.4 ms
Texas	109.9 Mbps	17.3 Mbps	65.5 ms
Utah	99.9 Mbps	18.9 Mbps	106.1 ms
Virginia	91.3 Mbps	19. Mbps	92.3 ms
Vermont	73.6 Mbps	16.1 Mbps	61.2 ms
Washington	110.8 Mbps	17.3 Mbps	63.1 ms
Wisconsin	127.1 Mbps	16.2 Mbps	59.3 ms
West Virginia	46.6 Mbps	15.3 Mbps	91.1 ms
Wyoming	106. Mbps	18.8 Mbps	77.3 ms