Mobile Phones

Best cell phone providers 2022: top carriers and networks rated

May 03,2022
Angela King

The best cell phone providers hit the sweet spot of coverage, perks, and new connection tech like 5G.

That’s a fair amount of variables, though, so it can be tricky to pin down your ideal cell phone coverage partner. Many of the big networks, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have an incredible 99% coverage, thanks to being long-running companies with a ton of resources.

Still, there are some surprising newer contenders that offer the likes of unlimited data if you’re happy to sacrifice some speed, while others will offer a solid deal if tied in with your home internet package. Others, like Mint Mobile, forgo expensive retail stores to allow for unlimited data at a very reasonable price.

While your smartphone’s 5G compatibility will determine whether the latest network standard is for you, all of the options on this page offer 4G options, too. As 5G becomes more common though, you may want to opt for a network that has invested in it, making it less of a hassle in the future if you do upgrade to a 5G device. Be sure to check our cell phone coverage maps guide to see which is the best option for where you need it.

So If you've picked a handset from the best smartphones or the best smartphones for seniors, it's time to go after the right network. To help you, here are our picks for the best cell phone providers in 2022.

Cell phone providers explainer

MVNO: MVNO stands for mobile virtual network operator. This is the name for cell phone providers who don’t actually own their own networks. Instead, these companies pay to use the networks of the larger providers.

Best cell phone providers

1. Verizon Wireless: Best cell phone provider

(Image credit: Verizon Wireless)

Verizon Wireless The best cell phone carrier in the US in 2021, and a good choice for 5G Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $70/month Budget plan: From $30/month International unlimited calling: From $5/month Today's Best Deals Go to Verizon Reasons to buy + Best network speeds + Inexpensive to add wearable or tablet to plan + Good phone selection Reasons to avoid - Can be expensive

Verizon Wireless is our best cell phone provider for 2021, and has been at the top of our guide for the past three years. Why? It's one of the biggest, sure, but it gets superior scores for reliability, speed, and network coverage. With solid coverage throughout the majority of the country (although there are few patchy zones in the north west and mid-west), and a large 5G network, Verizon will suit anyone looking for a strong signal and consistent data service. It rates a little lower for customer service than others, but it does have a larger customer base too, so we'd expect a variance of opinions and satisfaction ratings.

Verizon isn't a cheap carrier: in fact it has some of the most expensive plans on the market, but they do offer decent value if you are happy to invest in your cell phone. Pricing starts at $30 (for multiple lines) and run up to $90 per month. You do get what you pay for, but not everyone can afford to commit to such expensive cell phone plans each month.

If you want to pay as little as possible and still enjoy the benefits of such a strong network, you can pay $30 per month and get about 500MB of data. International calling can be bolted on for an extra $5 per month for unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, or $10 for calls to 185 countries worldwide.

Given the reliability of Verizon's 5G network, you can look to offset costs with your home internet provider by getting an unlimited 5G plan from Verizon and using it for the majority of your home broadband needs. If you find yourself out of the home more often than in it, this is a good way to get a fantastic cell service and save a little money elsewhere.

Read our Verizon Wireless review

2. T-Mobile: Best cell phone provider for video

(Image credit: T-Mobile)

T-Mobile The best cell phone company for video streaming Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $60/month Budget plan: From $40/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to T-Mobile Reasons to buy + Unlimited 55+ plan is a great deal for seniors + One of the fastest networks + Superb nationwide 5G coverage Reasons to avoid - Fewer plan options than other carriers

T-Mobile, having merged with Sprint, offers some of the fastest 4G LTE in the US as well as 5G nationwide coverage. T-Mobile’s unlimited plans are great value when compared side by side with similar offerings from Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Again, if you're looking to downgrade your home fibre and go completely 5G with unlimited data, T-Mobile is an excellent choice.

The plans offered by T-Mobile are clear and simple with three tiers of unlimited pay monthly offerings starting from $60 per month and several prepaid plans that start at $40. There are also specific plans for those over 55, veterans and first responders, each with great deals. T-Mobile also offers banking with savings to be made for those wireless customers that use both services from the provider.

What's more, T-Mobile actually scores higher than other big carriers on customer satisfaction, which is a real advantage. Smaller cell companies often achieve better satisfaction ratings, but here you get the perks of a larger provider with a big network, and the customer service of a smaller one. If you're looking to balance reliability, speed, and a carrier that cares, T-Mobile is a good bet. It's also highly rated for video streaming so is ideal for anyone that uses their data network for this regularly.

Read our T-Mobile review

3. Visible: Best prepaid cell phone carrier

(Image credit: Visible)

Visible A superb prepaid carrier with good network and simple pricing Specifications Network: 5G Plans: $40/month Extras: Discounts for multi-line plans Today's Best Deals Go to Visible Reasons to buy + Good network + Wide selection of phones + Unlimited data Reasons to avoid - Data capped at 5-12 Mbps - Only one plan

Visible is a great option if you want to go prepaid. It's a simple, streamlined offering that is designed to be easy to use and flexible, for those who don't want to worry about end of month bills. For $40 per month you get unlimited data, calls, and texts. Your data speeds are capped between 5-12 Mbps, depending on where you are in the country, which is enough for basic streaming, social media, emails and internet access. Sure, hardcore data-hogs will want quicker speeds, and a 5G plan (which Visible doesn't offer) but most users will be fine with these speeds.

The range of phones on offer is impressive - you've got most of the latest iPhones, including the SE and 12, and Samsung's flagship models too, like the S21. There are some good mid-range options, and a handful of budget handsets too. If you go pre-paid, you need to factor in the cost of financing a handset or buying one outright, which will add monthly cost. If you already own your phone, you can bring that across with you, which definitely saves cash.

Visible uses Verizon's network, which is the best in the US, so coverage is the best of all the MVNO carriers. While priority is always given to Verizon customers, you'll struggle to notice slow-down in data speeds or network availability. Other benefits of Visible is that you can manage your account entirely via the Visible app, you can add additional people to your 'Party' and you both save money every month.

Read our Visible review

4. AT&T Wireless: America's most popular network

(Image credit: AT&T Wireless)

AT&T Wireless One of the largest carriers, and it offers specialized plans for certain groups Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $35/month Budget plan: From $30/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to AT&T Reasons to buy + One of the fastest networks + Superb coverage + Veteran friendly Reasons to avoid - Expensive

AT&T is one of the big three cell phone companies and that means it owns and operates its own network of cell towers. That means it's coverage is better than most, and so is its reliability. Depending on where you live, it might be the best cell network bar none. However, this also makes it expensive, so be warned. AT&T bests Verizon when it comes to plans for veterans and those still in the military, which they can extend to their families, so this is where it truly excels.

Plans range from a selection of unlimited pay monthly options to data restricted as well as unlimited prepaid options. Pricing starts at around the $30 per month mark and savings can be made for multiple lines on one contract.

There are currently over 230 million AT&T customers in the US, so it's a popular choice. It has decent, but not the best customer reviews, and a good rating on the BBB. It can't best T-Mobile for customer satisfaction, and doesn't outperform Verizon for coverage, but it's still a solid choice.

Read our AT&T Wireless review

5. Xfinity Mobile: Best for combining phone and Internet

(Image credit: Comcast)

Xfinity Mobile Want to have phone and internet in a single package? This is for you Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: $45/month Budget plan: $15 per GB Unlimited International calling?: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to Xfinity Mobile Reasons to buy + Great value + Flexible plans Reasons to avoid - You do need to combine with Internet service

One thing our service providers love is loyalty. So, if you're an Xfinity customer - or plan to be - for your home internet, then you get a damn good deal on your cell plan too. Xfinity gives you unlimited 5G network access (so, data, calls, texts etc) for $45 per month, which is far lower than most plans on the big three networks. Sure, you're adding it to your fiber bill, so the total at the end of each month may seem eye-watering, but you're probably saving money overall on two essential services.

What's even better is that Xfinity runs on Verizon's network, so you get access to the quickest and broadest-covering network in the US. Verizon was rated as the best for 5G this year making this a big draw here. It's such a small downside but, honestly, it's tough to fault Xfinity's offering on the Verizon network.

The range of phones is good and, if you don't want to go for the unlimited data option, you can choose to pay for your cell plan on a download basis - starting at $15 for 1GB of data. You still get the unlimited calls rolled into that. For anyone currently with Xfinity, it's a no-brainer, and if you're planning to sign up for your internet, you really should consider adding your cell plan too.

Read our Xfinity review

6. Mint Mobile: Best value 5G

(Image credit: Mint)

Mint Mobile Outstanding value 5G and unlimited plans Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited Plan: $30 Budget Plan: $15 Unlimited International Calling: No Today's Best Deals Go to Mint Reasons to buy + Excellent value 5G + Good coverage Reasons to avoid - Suffers from deprioritization

Mint Mobile has recently launched a staggeringly good plan that gets you unlimited 5G (or 4G LTE if you're out of range), unlimited texts and calls, and free calls to Mexico and Canada for... $30 per month. That's a fantastic deal, and you may want to know what the catch is. Well, there kinda isn't one, although this deal isn't quite perfect. Mint only offers the $30 rate for the first three months, and it rises to $40 per month after that. Not quite as good, but still fantastic for what you actually get. Most other providers charge $70+ for unlimited 5G.

The other drawback is that Mint sits on the T-Mobile network. Technically, it's one of the best for 5G in the whole country, which is good - you're more likely to get a 5G signal that most other networks. The problem is that Mint users will suffer from deprioritization on this network, which means that in periods and areas of heavy usage, speeds will slow to allow regular T-Mobile customers priority access to data and cell signal. Again, though, this really isn't a massive deal because this only tends to happen at large-scale gatherings.

Overall, we think Mint is a serious value proposition. It has a large range of brand new handsets, it offers a free sim card for each plan, and you can go even cheaper (down to $15 per month) if you want to limit yourself to 4GB of data.

7. Red Pocket Mobile - Best for network options

(Image credit: Red Pocket Mobile)

Red Pocket Mobile Red Pocket Mobile lets you choose between all the major networks Today's Best Deals Visit Site Reasons to buy + Choose between all major networks + Cheap Reasons to avoid - High speed data caps - Mixed customer reviews

Red Pocket Mobile is unique among smaller, MVNO providers in that it doesn’t just offer service across some cell phone networks - it covers almost all of them. This means you can choose the parent network that offers the best coverage in your local area, whether that’s GSMA (AT&T), CDMA (Verizon), GSMT (T-Mobile), or CDMAS (Sprint’s legacy network).

The other unique selling point of Red Pocket is that all of its plans offer you unlimited data, minutes, and texts. Instead of limiting your data, Red Pocket just limits how much data you get at the fastest speeds. Once you use that data allowance up, your speeds are throttled, but you’re never cut off. Prices start at just $20 per month with 3GB of high speed data and go up to $50 per month for 50GB.

Customer reviews seem a little mixed on Red Pocket - some people get great cell service and love it, some get trash cell service and hate it. Whether Red Pocket is worth using largely comes down to where you live, but with monthly contracts it’s easy to check it out and see how the service is for you.

Read our full Red Pocket Mobile review.

8. Google Fi: Best for Google Pixel users

(Image credit: Google)

Google Fi The best cell phone carrier for Google Pixel users Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $70/month Budget plan: From $20/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Check Amazon Go to Google Fi Reasons to buy + Nationwide 5G coverage + Affordable unlimited plan Reasons to avoid - Key features locked to limited number of smartphones - Budget plan charges creep up fast.

A lot of cell phone providers try to be all things to all people, but Google Fi takes a different approach. It sets out to be the absolute best network for some people. This means it might be the absolute top choice for you, but many others will find it lacking.

Google Fi is an MVNO provider, meaning it doesn’t have its own network and so it relies on others. While many companies do this, Google Fi takes things a step further by using multiple other networks and switching you between them depending on which gives you the best coverage at any given time. This sounds great in theory, and it is, providing you’re using one of the very limited number of smartphones that support this feature.

If you can take full advantage of what Google is offering here though, you’ll get a lightning fast service with unlimited data and exceptional nationwide coverage at a very reasonable price. These savings can go even further if you sign up for a family plan, but good luck convincing your entire family to ditch the iPhone life.

Read our Google Fi review.

9. Metro by T-Mobile: Best carrier for families

(Image credit: Metro by T-Mobile)

Metro by T-Mobile A good option for families who want to group their phone bills Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $60/month Budget plan: From $30/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to Metro Reasons to buy + Great deals + 5G coverage Reasons to avoid - No HD streaming - Need to buy in store

Metro by T-Mobile is a prepaid cellular provider that uses its parent company’s great high-speed network. Its prices are lower, and it has more clarity on pricing than T-Mobile. The most expensive plan costs $60 per month, and in addition to having unlimited data, it allows you to use 15GB on hotspot tethering and comes with Amazon Prime. If you don’t need that much hotspot data, you can save yourself $10 by signing up for the $50 unlimited plan, which only includes 5GB of hotspot data.

We like that Metro includes its Music Unlimited feature with plans that cost $40 or more. Music Unlimited lets you stream music from over 40 services, including Pandora and Spotify, without deducting from your data allotment. This is particularly nice since you can’t add data mid-cycle. It can also help you stay under the unlimited plans' 35GB high-speed data threshold.

However, its unlimited plans have a max video streaming resolution of 480p. DVD-quality streaming is fine and consumes less data than HD streaming, but it would be nice to have the higher-quality option, especially since phone screens now support high resolutions.

Because it is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that runs on T-Mobile’s network, Metro customers sometimes experience data deprioritization to direct T-Mobile customers. If a lot of people use data on T-Mobile’s network in the same place at the same time, Metro customers could see their speeds slow down.

Read our Metro by T-Mobile review

10. US Mobile: Best customized cell plans

(Image credit: US Mobile)

US Mobile Offers a great range of plans at reasonable prices Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $45month Budget plan: From $5/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to US Mobile Reasons to buy + Fast speeds + Superb customization + Great perks + Excellent coverage Reasons to avoid - Poor phone selection

US Mobile is an MVNO that lets you customize nearly every aspect of your plan, from the network down to the amount of talk, text and data. It uses Verizon and T-Mobile networks, two of the best and fastest networks in the US. These networks span both types of cellular technologies used in the US, which is great if you want to bring your own phone to the service. Though it does offer unlimited plans, they’re expensive compared to other carriers.

US Mobile’s value lies in its customization: you only pay for what you use. This approach can save usage-conscious customers a lot of money compared to an unlimited everything plan from a big three cell phone company. If, for example, you only want unlimited texting, it costs just $9 a month. You can also always add minutes, texts or data onto your account, should your needs change.

One downside is that you are limited when it comes to the actual selection of phones, so if you have your eye on a particular handset, you do need to check whether or not US Mobile stocks it.

Read our US Mobile review

11. Cricket: Best for text and talk

(Image credit: Cricket Wireless)

Cricket Wireless Not concerned with data? Cricket can save you some money Specifications Network: 5G Unlimited price: From $55/month Budget plan: From $30/month International unlimited calling: Yes Today's Best Deals Go to Cricket Reasons to buy + Affordable unlimited plans + Fast data when not capped Reasons to avoid - Hotspot not included - Data speeds capped

Cricket Wireless is a prepaid carrier that's owned and operated by AT&T, and it uses its parent company’s extensive cellular network. The prepaid provider offers plans ranging from $30 to $60 per month: a 2GB plan, a 10GB plan and two unlimited-data plans.

Cricket is generally a good value, with prices on a par with those of other carrier-owned prepaid services and much lower than the prices of similar plans on its parent network. Cricket offers group discounts and a $5-per-month autopay discount on plans starting at the $40 tier. The carrier often features new-customer promotions, such as discounted or free smartphones when you switch from another carrier.

The biggest downside of Cricket’s service is the data-speed caps. The top unlimited plan won't cap download speeds, while all other plans cap download speeds at 8 Mbps, up to the data allotment. But overall, Cricket is one of the best choices for plan savings and great customer care.

Read our Cricket Wireless review

Cell phone provider advice

How we tested the best cell phone carriers

We’ve been reviewing cell phone carriers for a long time now and we know what to look for when it comes to finding the best choices on the market. We’ve tested all the biggest names in cell phone plans, and quite a few of the smaller companies you might not have heard of too. In the end, we’ve narrowed this list down to the ten best cell phone carriers out there.

When testing a cell phone provider, we look at LTE and 5G network coverage, download speeds, plan variety and flexibility, price, smartphone selection, customer service, and extras to provide comprehensive reviews of the service that you can expect from each company. We also analyze user reviews to pull in experience from thousands of people who have been using these cell phone providers for years to find out what people like about them, and where people think each company could improve.

Current cell phone promotions

How to choose the best cell phone provider for you

There are dozens of cell phone companies to choose from, and with fierce competition, you’re spoiled for choice. We narrowed down our recommendations to widely available services that offer unlimited data plans, but there are a lot of great options that don’t fit these parameters, including Republic Wireless. A few others do fit within our parameters but didn’t make the cut, including CREDO Mobile, Boost Mobile, Ting Mobile and U.S. Cellular.

Here are some key considerations to make to help you choose the right cell phone provider for your individual needs...

1. Cell Phone Plan Price

Cell phone plan prices vary depending on the amount of data and number of lines you add. An individual line costs between $30 to $60 for a limited-data plan or $60-$90 for an unlimited plan with mobile hotspot tethering. Family plans with four lines can cost $150 to $220 for unlimited or $115 to $150 for limited-data. In many cases, however, family unlimited plans are a better value, as many carriers offer discounts for multiple lines.

2. Big Three Cell Phone Companies Vs. MVNO

You may have heard us, or other websites talking about the big three when it comes to cell phone providers, but what does this mean and who are the big three? Well this term refers to Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile, which are the three largest cell phone providers in the US (it actually used to be the big four with Sprint taking the last spot, but T-Mobile and Sprint merged back in 2020).

Almost all other cell phone providers use the networks of these companies, so while your contract might be with Visible or Mint Mobile, in truth you’re actually using the cell network of one of these companies.

Smaller companies that piggyback off a larger network are called Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO). These companies have an arrangement with the larger networks that lets them use their networks, which they then give you access to. These networks set their own prices, so you can end up getting a cheaper deal with an MNVO.

The benefits to an MNVO are that these companies often offer cell phone plans at cheaper rates than the larger providers, so you can get a great deal while still getting access to a premium cell network. The downside is that the parent network operator will usually give preferential treatment to its own customers first, so if the network is busy then you’ll be first in line for slower download speeds.

3. Check your area's cell phone network coverage and service

Though Verizon Wireless has the best-performing network across the U.S., it may not be the best option in every part of the country. When you shop for a new plan, you should first check which carriers perform well in your area.

Doug King, director of business development at RootMetrics, stressed the importance of looking beyond simple coverage, “Consumers need to understand not just how fast a network is in terms of uplink and downlinks, but it is critical to look at how reliable a network is based on its ability to initially connect and stay connected.” All carriers have their own coverage maps, but we recommend checking out RootMetrics and OpenSignal for insights like network reliability, speeds and call performance in your area.

4. Shop cell phone companies, deals and the features they offer

The competition between cell phone providers is fierce, and services are constantly changing their plans and prices in attempts to one up each other – something comparison shoppers can take advantage of. Most providers have an unlimited data option now, but each company’s definition of “unlimited” is a little different.

Allan Samson, senior vice president of customer acquisition at T-Mobile, told us: “As all carriers have rushed back to the unlimited plan, I think it’s increasingly important to truly understand the service you’re getting. People should really evaluate, ‘How am I using my phone?’ If you’re streaming a lot of video, ask, ‘Am I getting the premier quality in terms of HD, and am I getting that consistent experience with all my stuff included?’”

Shopping for the features you use seems like obvious advice, but with so much hidden in fine print, it’s easy to miss the fact that all download speeds are limited to 8 Mbps on Cricket or that video streams at a max resolution of 480p on T-Mobile’s Metro.

(Image credit: Apple)

Do you need unlimited data?

Every year, more people get smartphones, smartphones get smarter and, no surprise, we use more data. Most cell phone companies push their high-priced unlimited data plans, but most people don’t use enough data to necessitate the extra cost.

A few years ago, the average American used 5.1GB of mobile data per month, but that has increased with more and more streaming and video content coming online. Some use much more, but most people only need about 10 to 20GB, accounting for Wi-Fi use.

To find out how much data you need, track your data usage for a few months using your online account through your carrier’s website. If you have a family plan, do this for everyone on the account, as some plans count your data in aggregate, while others count data per phone line. If you use less than 10GB per line on average, you can probably find a better deal that fits your needs.

If you often use your data plan to stream content, especially at high resolutions, you probably need an unlimited plan, as streaming applications are notorious data hogs. But if you only use slightly more data each month than your carrier’s next best data plan, you may be able to shave off that excess by turning off background app refresh, setting lesser-used applications to Wi-Fi only and using your default viewing and listening quality to conserve data. You can also turn off Wi-Fi assist for iPhones and background data usage for Android, use free public Wi-Fi and disable video autoplay on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Using an old cell phone with a new plan

Since smartphones can cost well over $1,000, you may want to keep your device longer than a couple of years to get your money’s worth. Usually, you can keep your own phone even if you switch carriers, as most cell phone companies allow you to bring your own device to a new plan. There are a few things that could impede this, however, including carrier-locked devices and different cellular technologies.

Some carrier-purchased smartphones have a software lock in place that prevents them from working with any other carrier. Factory unlocked phones do not have this problem, nor do many phones from Verizon. Your phone may have a lock if it was purchased through your carrier or if you chose a specific carrier when purchasing your phone from the manufacturer. To unlock your phone to use with a different carrier, you may need to wait a set amount of time after buying your cell or pay off the phone in full. AT&T, for example, requires a request. If your phone comes through a prepaid provider, it may be locked for a much longer timespan – possibly up to a year.

After unlocking your phone, make sure your device is compatible with the network you want to switch to. Within the U.S., there are two prevailing wireless technologies. US Cellular and Verizon use CDMA, whereas AT&T, T-Mobile and pretty much the rest of the world use GSM. Some phone manufacturers build phones that support both CDMA and GSM networks, but others only have modems for one. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have simple methods to check if your phone is compatible with their networks, and we recommend consulting them before switching.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Postpaid vs. prepaid cell plans

Traditional cell phone plans operate on a postpay basis: You use your cellular service for the month and are billed for how many minutes and messages you racked up and how much data you used during the billing cycle. Prepaid plans, offered by carriers such as Metro by T-Mobile and Google Fi, have customers pay their bills prior to receiving service for the month. Some do this through prepaid service cards, while others operate online or through stores, similar to their postpaid counterparts.

Both styles of cellular service have their strengths. For example, traditional service offers better deals and payment options for new phones. Also, postpaid plans tend to have extras or freebies, while prepaid plans rarely have perks. Postpaid customers’ service is also prioritized over prepaid customers’ during times of network congestion.

Still, prepaid plans can save you money compared to plans from the big three, and they give you the benefit of knowing exactly how much your phone service costs each month without bill-time surprises. Prepaid plans prevent any unexpected data overage charges. All of the big three carriers have their own prepaid plans, but they are usually more expensive compared to plans offered by network subsidiaries like Boost, Cricket or Metro by T-Mobile, which are owned by the network carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile, respectively). Mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, also offer cheaper service by buying network service wholesale from the big three carriers.

Network congestion & data deprioritization

Cellular networks all have a threshold for how much data they can handle at any given time. If there are too many people on the same network in the same place, it causes network congestion. You’ve probably experienced the effects of network congestion at huge events where your wireless service, particularly data, acted sluggish.

Think of your data as a car merging onto a freeway; when the network is acting normally, there is little traffic, and the car can merge directly without slowing down. Congestion is like a traffic jam, where more people are trying to get the same amount of data through the network at the same time. Because there isn’t enough room for all the cars on the freeway at the same time, each has to wait in a queue for its turn to move forward.

In cases such as this, everyone’s data service is slow, but in times of lighter congestion, the cellular network has a hierarchy of whose service gets top priority. Generally, the network’s direct, postpaid customers get first dibs on data. A Verizon customer with a traditional plan who has not exceeded their high-speed data limit for the month has prioritized service over someone using Verizon’s prepaid MVNO service, a Verizon prepaid plan or a traditional Verizon plan that has exceeded its data limit for the month.

If you are not on a postpaid plan with your network and experience quality of service issues often, it’s worth it to pay extra to have service priority when the network is congested or to switch to a network with fewer users in your area.

Scams and robocalls

According to a report released by First Orion , fraudulent calls increased drastically, from 3.7 percent of all calls in 2017 to almost 30 percent in 2018, and that number has increased further into 2021. Many of these calls appear to come from local numbers, a practice called "neighborhood spoofing" spammers use to trick you into thinking the call might be important. Often, these calls appear to come from legitimate phone numbers, which are temporarily hijacked.

These spoofed numbers are also a large part of why many call blocking techniques are ineffective at stopping the onslaught of robocalls, as many call-blocking tools only prevent calls from known spam numbers. Adding your number to the Do Not Call List prevents certain legitimate telemarketers from contacting you but does little to deter illegal calls.

If you receive an illegal spam call, hang up. Don’t say anything, especially any personal information, since the call may be recorded. Don’t press a button to remove yourself from the list or to talk to a live person because these interactions encourage spammers to keep calling you. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recently called phone providers to arms against robocallers, encouraging adoption of two authentication frameworks designed to catch spam calls before your phone rings.

The future is 5G

5G stands for the fifth generation of mobile wireless technology, and it promises faster speeds and lower latency. It works differently than 4G LTE in that it’s faster but over shorter distances. This requires infrastructure in the form of 5G cells, which the FCC protected against prohibitive upkeep fees .

Mobile customers on 5G networks see faster download times and overall better network performance, but the tech benefits more than just smartphones, including smart devices, self-driving cars and virtual reality. Of course, all of this doesn’t happen immediately. With 5G still relatively new, we can expect to see more developments over the next few years as it rolls out wider and eventually replaces 4G LTE.

Best cell phone providers 2022: top carriers and networks rated

Leave a Comment