Best Phone Coverage in Boston: Cell Service in Beantown

Boston sits in the cold north of the country, with many residents living in and around the city. The 650,000 people that call Beantown their home come from all walks of life, but almost everyone has a smartphone, and a good portion of those people use it on mobile networks every day. For those people, finding the best phone coverage in Boston is crucial so they can stay connected to high-speed mobile data all month long. This article will break down the top three carriers for the best phone coverage in Boston, what we like about each carrier, and help you decide which one is right for you!

Our research found that Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Visible Wireless are the top three for best phone coverage in Boston overall. This article features detailed information on the following: 

• Map of the fastest cell phone coverage in Boston
• Local and national carriers that cover Boston
• Frequently asked questions about phone coverage in Boston

Phone Coverage in Boston at a Glance

Lightning-Fast Data Speeds on Major Networks

As shown in the picture above, Boston has excellent coverage from all three major wireless networks. While Verizon Wireless is at the top of our list and AT&T is not in the top three, each one will provide good coverage citywide. For the best of the best, however, Verizon is the way to go. Their 5G Ultra Wideband network provides fast and reliable coverage to everyone in Boston with a 5G-compatible device. Their 5G networks support many more devices at once, allowing more residents to engage in high-data activities like streaming video before any users are slown down. Strong networks are an important foundation to give Boston residents high-speed data at all times.  

Local and National Cell Phone Carriers in Boston

The top three carriers in Boston are Verizon, AT&T, and Visible Wireless. 

You have a lot of options when picking out the best phone coverage in Boston. There are tons of plans on major wireless carriers and MVNOs, and we want to highlight the key differences between the two services prior to detailing our top three picks for phone coverage in Boston. At this time, there are two types of cell phone companies from which you can purchase service. Major Wireless Providers (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) own and operate their own mobile networks. They maintain the current infrastructure while building more throughout the country. As a result, purchasing service from a major wireless provider is expensive but gives you unlimited high-speed data and fast and reliable data speeds. 

The other cell service provider is Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), comprising the many companies that rent bandwidth from major wireless providers. This lets MVNOs offer more affordable plans that often give less high-speed data and may slow down your data speeds in periods of congestion. If you are someone who does not often rely on high-speed data, an MVNO in Boston can provide some of the best cell phone coverage, but major wireless providers are much more reliable for high-speed data. 

#1 in Boston: Verizon Wireless 

Fastest 5G and 4G LTE in Boston

Verizon is a colossus among wireless carriers. As one of the big three, they defend their title as the best phone coverage in Boston with high-speed data, reliable coverage, and a strong 5G network, perfect for walking along Boston’s Harbor Park. Let’s jump into the details of their service. 

Price: Varies

Plan: Verizon offers a pair of unlimited plans. One has unlimited high-speed data, and the other has unlimited premium high-speed data.  

Verizon offers two unlimited plans. 

• Welcome Unlimited, priced at $65/55/40/30 a month per line
• Unlimited Plus, priced at $80/70/55/45 a month per line

The unlimited plus comes with a variety of benefits, but the big ticket item is unlimited premium data. Among major wireless carriers, there is basic data and premium data. In a pinch, major networks may slow down their basic data users in order to keep their premium data users at high-speed service. Prior to any intra-carrier data slowdowns are all the MVNO customers. If there is any sign of congestion, MVNO customers have their data slowed. If congestion persists, basic data gets slowed, and if it is really congested then no one has high-speed data. In Boston, it is likely that Verizon’s networks can hold all of the data usage within the city. We recommend starting with their Welcome Unlimited plan and see for yourself if there is any congestion in your area. 

Verizon’s Unlimited Plus plan is a flat $15 increase per line, and it is only truly worthwhile if you want to ensure your data speeds at all times. This is for heavy data users who want to stream HD video and game on their phones on a commute or otherwise out and about. 

Verizon offers a wide variety of add-ons, which are nice bonuses to their service. The best part — they are optional. Each add-on is $10 a month and saves you some money on the service, but if none of them seem like things you need, then you can skip it entirely and stick with the base plan. Next time you visit Boston, make sure to check out the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. It is a bit touristy, but if you’ve never been it is a sight to see!

👍 What We Liked

• 5G Network. Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G network provides incredible coverage over the Boston area, so you will receive exceptionally fast data when in its bounds. Unfortunately, the data speeds fluctuate a lot, and if you aren’t close to a 5G UW tower, you will experience slower speeds. Fortunately, “slower speeds” are still lightning-fast 5G coverage!
• Family Plan Savings. Verizon’s family plan savings are immense. You can save big on your wireless bill if you have friends or family with whom you would like to share a Verizon account. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Price. Verizon is expensive. Their plans provide great service, lightning-fast speeds, and lots of add-ons, but they come at a high price. 
• Customer Service. This is certainly not unique to Verizon, but their customer service does not always solve the problems ailing their customers. 

#2 in Boston: T-Mobile 

Best Cell Phone Plan Range in Boston

While Verizon is our #1, T-Mobile is close behind in the race to provide the best phone coverage in Boston. Verizon is overall more reliable and has faster top speeds, but T-Mobile has the most 5G coverage nationwide of any major carrier. T-Mobile hopes to expand its coverage to over 90% within the next few years, positively blanketing the city with its high-speed 5G coverage.

The future is with 5G networks. Operating with that much data speed makes a lot of new things possible, from gaming on the go to streaming UHD video. Carriers are rushing to put down 5G coverage and snag CBRS bandwidth, and T-Mobile has done an excellent job over the years of shoring up the holes in their network and outputting excellent coverage. Even if you choose Verizon, Visible, or another carrier for your Boston coverage, we recommend you keep an eye on how T-Mobile develops in the near future. 

Price: Varies

Plan: T-Mobile offers three unlimited plans at various price points. While these plans are all very expensive, multi-line accounts save big. 

Premium data is, unsurprisingly, a big sell in T-Mobile’s plans as well. One of the differences in the plans is how much premium data each account receives. It starts at 50 GBs with their tier 1 plan, 100 GBs with tier 2, and unlimited premium data with tier 3. Especially with the 50 GBs in the essentials plan, you may not need any extra premium data during your Boston outings throughout the month. There are a lot of areas around the country where networks are strong enough to deal with regular phone usage, just watch out for the Boston Marathon! Service likely slows during a crawl between the runners and the spectators. 

When you’re going out on the town in the North End or heading to your favorite bar with friends, premium data comes in handy if there’s a bit extra congestion in Boston’s bustling nightlife. 

👍 What We Liked

• Large 5G Network. Of all the major wireless providers, T-Mobile is the winner in 5G network coverage. The extra max speeds of 5G networks are nice, but the best benefit, in our eyes, is the big increase in bandwidth. That means more devices can connect and transmit before speeds start to slow. 
• Premium Data. Starting their plans with 50 GBs is a great feature that neither of the other major networks has done. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Phone Deals. Take an extra look at any new customer deals from T-Mobile. They have a habit of locking them behind their most expensive cell phone plan, forcing you into a pseudo-contract if you take the deal. 
• Spotty Coverage in Buildings. Though T-Mobile's network is constantly improving, you may notice slow data speeds inside buildings. 

#3 in Boston: Visible Wireless

Best for Affordable Unlimited in Boston

Visible Wireless is an MVNO on Verizon’s network that provides unlimited high-speed data for only $30 a month. It has an excellent network upon which it operates, and it is one of the few MVNOs that provide unlimited high-speed data, cementing it on our list for best phone coverage in Boston. Many MVNOs offer plans with “unlimited data,” which means a limited amount of high-speed data and then unlimited low-speed data at 2G or 3G speeds. For many high-data users, the 30 or so GBs of high-speed data is not enough for a month. Let’s dive into what Visible has to offer in Boston. 

Price: From just $30/month

Plan: Visible Wireless has two wireless plans. Each of them has unlimited high-speed data, an amazing feature of this MVNO. The two Visible Wireless phone plans are as follows:

• $30 per month for Unlimited
• $45 per month for Unlimited plus

Visible Wireless offers two cell phone plans, each with unlimited high-speed data. Visible’s basic unlimited plan has high-speed data on Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks but does not allow users on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. The regular MVNO rules apply with Visible’s unlimited plan, where your data will be slowed in times of high traffic in your area. We do not think you’ll run into much trouble with deprioritized data in Boston, especially on Verizon’s network. That being said, on an MVNO you run a far greater risk than if you were using the basic unlimited on Verizon’s network. In Boston, as long as there are no surprise conferences in the convention center, we believe you’ll be good to go. There are numerous complaints about Visible’s customer service and overall difficulties with the transfer process for new customers, but if you make it past any issues with the sign-up process, you will receive unlimited high-speed data on Verizon’s nationwide network for just $30 a month. That’s a pretty sweet deal. 

👍 What We Liked

• Affordable Plans. The low price point of Visible’s unlimited plans is a huge draw for single-line users. 
• Verizon’s Coverage. Verizon Wireless has great coverage in Boston.

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• No family plans. There are no multi-line savings from Visible. Their plan is great on its own, but it starts to fall off the top tier if you compare it to the multi-line plans from some other MVNOs. 
• Data deprioritization. While this is true of all MVNOs, it is unfortunate that your data will slow whenever there is a high strain on the bandwidth in your area. There is no telling when your mobile data will slow, so it could never be a problem. 

Get to Know Your Local Carrier Options in Boston

There are a lot of excellent carriers in Boston. Don’t be discouraged if you are interested in a carrier we didn’t highlight on this list. While Verizon provides the best phone coverage in Boston, AT&T, and many other MVNOs will serve you well. One of the biggest questions that we, unfortunately, cannot answer is what you value most in a cell phone plan. If you are a low-data user (less than 20 GB per month), you can save huge on your cell service using an MVNO like Tello, Mint Mobile, or Unreal Mobile. MVNOs struggle more in high-population areas such as cities, but there are varying reports about MVNO data slowdowns and dropped calls. 

It seems that the majority of issues are solved through company troubleshooting, but at the end of the day, it comes down to what you want from your cell phone service. If you are okay with occasional data slowdowns and don’t necessarily need unlimited high-speed data during the month, then an MVNO can save you a lot on your cell phone bill. If you have some time to test, an MVNO is a great place to start. Since many of them have no contracts and no deals to lock you in for months and months, you can stick with a carrier and test out their service before moving to a major wireless carrier if it is not for you. 

FAQ: Your Questions About Cell Phone Coverage in Boston, Answered

What phone service is the best in Boston?

Verizon provides the best phone service in Boston as it is hyper-fast and very reliable. The other two major wireless carriers are right behind it, but as of now, Verizon is our #1. 

Is AT&T or Verizon better in Boston?

Verizon is better than AT&T in Boston. The best phone coverage varies by area and there are certainly many areas of the country where AT&T bests Verizon overall, but Boston is not one of them. 

Does Verizon have good coverage in Boston?

Absolutely. The mix of Verizon’s 4G LTE and 5G networks combine for serious coverage in Boston. 

TLDR; Verizon is your best bet for fast phone coverage in Boston

Use really.com to compare! 

Boston is a great place to be. Boston with the best phone coverage provided by Verizon is even better. When you have the best phone coverage in Boston you can use your high-speed data anytime and anywhere. Both T-Mobile and AT&T provide great coverage in Boston as well, but you may find more dead spots and slow data throughout the town. If you want more info about plans available in Boston, you can compare carriers at Really.com to decide which phone carrier is best for you.