Best Phone Coverage in Fairfield, CA: Cell Service in The Flats

Fairfield is a large city in the San Francisco Bay Area that’s home to a bit over 100,000 residents. Fairfield lies just West of Napa Valley, making it a great place for wine enthusiasts to live. This popular place hosts a lot of people and has a great culture of its own. In California, especially around its larger population centers, all three major wireless providers offer fantastic coverage in the area. Residents have many options for cell phone coverage in Fairfield, and this article will cover three excellent choices for anyone interested in a new provider. 

Finding the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield, CA, is key to staying connected during your travels. This article will list the top three carriers for the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield, CA, what we like about each carrier, and how to decide which is best for you. For more information, make sure to check out the Really Comparison tool to find detailed info on local plans! 

Our research found that Cricket Wireless, AT&T, and Visible Wireless are the top three for best phone coverage in Fairfield, CA. This article features detailed information on the following: 

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

Phone Coverage in Fairfield, CA, at a Glance

Lightning-Fast Data Speeds on Major Networks

California is a sunny and open spot of the country that’s filled with amazing cities and towns, beautiful natural sights, and long stretches of open roads. The popularity of California’s many cities and towns has drawn in residents and tourism, which, in turn, has drawn the attention of major wireless providers. Most of California, Fairfield included, enjoys excellent 5G coverage relative to its population. 

Let’s take a look at the carriers that provide the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield, CA.

Local and National Cell Phone Carriers in Fairfield, CA

The top three carriers in Fairfield, CA, are Cricket Wireless, AT&T, and Visible Wireless. 

AT&T’s network is the strongest in Fairfield, CA, closely followed by Verizon’s network. Both have strong 5G networks in the area with solid 4G LTE coverage, shoring up the gaps. We recommend major wireless networks over MVNOs in this area due to overall congestion. 

A major wireless network is any provider that owns its own network. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are the Big Three major providers in the United States. They cover maintenance and upgrades on their network, and their customers receive unlimited high-speed data and fewer data slowdowns in exchange for more expensive cell phone plans. 

Mobile Virtual Network Operators are the other kind of cellular provider in the United States, and they are companies that rent network bandwidth from major providers. They offer cheaper cell phone plans that often have less high-speed data and a lower data priority, meaning your data gets slowed whenever bandwidth is strained. Data priority is most important in big cities, so you will receive less daily congestion. 

Let’s look at which of these carriers use the network that gives people in Fairfield, CA, the best phone coverage.

#1 in Fairfield, CA: Cricket Wireless

Fastest 5G and 4G LTE in Fairfield, CA

Cricket Wireless uses AT&T’s mobile networks to provide the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield without you having to pay a premium cost for service. Cricket customers receive the same coverage as they would with AT&T, making Cricket Wireless an amazing way to receive the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield. 

Cricket has excellent coverage throughout Napa Valley. You can use this to stay connected while you take a road trip through the exceptional wineries in the area. Which are your favorites? We are partial to Porter Valley Vineyards. 

Price: Varies

Plan: Cricket Wireless has four plans, two of which provide unlimited high-speed data and two that provide limited data. 

Cricket Wireless's four plans for one line are as follows:

• Unlimited data + 15 GB Mobile Hotspot
• Unlimited data
• 10 GB data
• 5 GB data

While the base pricing of Cricket’s plans is rather pricey, the company provides excellent multi-line savings. 

These multi-line savings are what really draw us to their service. Cricket is one of the more expensive MVNOs, but they offer plans that are most similar to what you see with a major wireless network. 

Cricket’s two unlimited plans provide unlimited high-speed data, which separates them from the other AT&T MVNOs in our eyes. Few MVNO data plans offer the same. Make sure you read the fine print as you browse the offerings. Almost every MVNO has an “unlimited” plan, but most are unlimited 3G data with a limited 5G and 4G LTE data allocation. Most of these plans offer between 30 and 50 GB per month, which, while sizable, is not a lot if you use your phone on the mobile network every day. 

As data speeds increase, so does your phone’s data consumption. It is all too easy to burn through any limited data allocation before the month is done, leaving you with slow, slow 3G data for the rest of the time. These unlimited plans are not meant for high-data users. If you are a high-data user (>50 GB a month), then unlimited high-speed data plans are your best option. 

👍 What We Liked

• Multi-Line Savings. While the prices start high, multi-line accounts rack up serious savings. 
• Reliable Network.  Cricket Wireless works on AT&T’s network, providing all its users with some of the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield, CA. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• High Starting Prices. The single-line pricing of Cricket plans is much higher than other MVNOs that provide similar amounts of data. 
• Strange Pricing. The multi-line pricing on the two limited-data plans means low-data users cannot save as much as those on unlimited plans. 

#2 in Fairfield, CA: AT&T

Best Cell Phone Plan Range in Fairfield, CA

Cricket is our number one because of its excellent prices, but AT&T’s cell phone plans have higher speeds, less congestion, and more add-ons. These plans are great for people who use their phones a lot each day and are willing to pay a premium for their service. 

AT&T has excellent 5G and 4G LTE coverage in California. It especially rises above the competition on the coast and in the Bay Area. AT&T is your best bet if you spend a lot of time on the beaches of California! While Fairfield is not right on the beach, you are very close to the West Coast and can pick out your favorite beaches in high or low-volume areas like Black Point, Shell Beach, and Santa Monica.

AT&T offers basic and premium unlimited high-speed data. Their basic data is strong, and their premium data ensures you have maximum data speeds no matter where you are. Let’s look at all of AT&T’s cell phone plans. Fairfield is populous enough that MVNO users may see congestion during the day, but it is not a guarantee like it is in San Francisco or Los Angeles. 

Going with a major network ensures maximum data speeds in the big Californian cities. Pair that with AT&T’s excellent coverage, and this network is friendly to travelers. You have great coverage in less-populated Californian areas with high-speed data and high priority in big cities. 

Price: Varies

Plan: AT&T offers three unlimited plans at various price points. Their price is comparable to the plans at Verizon. 

AT&T offers three unlimited plans. 

• AT&T Unlimited Starter Plan
• AT&T Unlimited Extra Plan
• AT&T Unlimited Premium Plan

Like all major wireless networks, AT&T’s unlimited plans start at a high price point and become much more affordable with the addition of new lines. With three cell phone plans, AT&T has a basic plan with new bells and whistles, a medium plan, and a premium plan with many extras. 

• AT&T’s starter plan has unlimited high-speed data with 3 GBs of high-speed hotspot data.  
• AT&T’s extra plan includes 50 GB of premium data and 15 GB of high-speed hotspot data. 
• AT&T’s premium plan includes unlimited premium data and 50 GB of high-speed hotspot data.

Unfortunately, AT&T limits streaming speeds on all but their premium cell phone plan. This makes their other plans imperfect for people who like to stream video when out and about. If you have a big commute to work and like to boot up your favorite Netflix shows or watch some TikTok, you will notice significantly less resolution than when you stream on WiFi. You can mitigate this by downloading shows in advance and trying to connect to WiFi whenever you can. 

👍 What We Liked

• Large 5G Network.  AT&T has a great 5G network. It is fast and covers almost all of California. AT&T is constantly working to improve its coverage and the speed of its network. 
• High-Speed Hotspot. High-speed hotspot data is a great emergency pool in case you ever need to connect your laptop and there’s no WiFi in sight. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• SD Streaming. Cutting video streaming off at standard definition for the starter and the mid-tier plan is a tough sell for anyone who likes to stream video when on the move. 
• Mid-Tier Premium Data. AT&T’s Unlimited Extra Plan is nice, but an account with three lines might use all 50 GBs of premium data in the first week of each month. 

#3 in Fairfield, CA: Visible Wireless

Most affordable cell phone plans in Fairfield, CA 

Last but not least is Visible Wireless, our favorite MVNO for Fairfield. 

Visible is perfect for high-data single-line users. They do not have multi-line savings, but their unlimited high-speed data plan starts at $30 for a single line, which is amazing compared to the competition. Visible uses Verizon’s network, which provides some of the best cell phone coverage in Fairfield, CA. You can browse this network while enjoying a fine meal at Fairfield’s great restaurants like Mel’s Diner or Hecho en Mexico Taqueria. 

Let’s look at what Visible Wireless has to offer. 

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 is great for any Fairfield, CA resident. Visible offers unlimited high-speed data just like Cricket Wireless, making both of these excellent for high-data users. The downside to these MVNOs, of course, is that your data has a higher risk of getting slowed down in times of congestion. If you go to Sacramento, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, for instance, you will likely encounter congestion every day. 

There is a striking difference between 3G (slowed-down) and 5G (high-speed) data speeds. On 4G LTE, you can do almost everything on a smartphone, barring HD streaming and mobile gaming. Websites take a bit longer to load, but only a few seconds. 

3G data speeds, on the other hand, let you do almost nothing on your device. As median data speeds grow, mobile app and UI developers have upped the data needed to run many applications. We recommend high-speed data at all times, and Visible ensures that’s the case! 

One of the big benefits of major wireless networks is the priority data. Anytime there is stress on the bandwidth, the network owner will slow down all MVNO users. This frees up some bandwidth for their customers to keep maximum speeds. In cities and other major population centers, networks often slow down their MVNO customers. Visible Wireless users run into that risk. 

👍 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 Fairfield, CA. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• No family plans. There are no multi-line savings from Visible. Their plan is great on its own, but what you see is what you get. 
• Data deprioritization. We do not expect your data to slow down due to deprioritization in Fairfield, CA, but you may find slowdowns if you travel the country.

Get to Know Your Local Carrier Options in Fairfield, CA

We focused on Visible, Cricket Wireless, and AT&T in this article, but there are many more MVNOs available in the area. If you are interested in more information regarding the cell phone plans in Fairfield, you can compare carriers at Really.com for more information. 

There are a ton of options out there if these three are not to your liking. While we didn’t include T-Mobile or any of its MVNOs on this list, it is a good option for any Fairfield resident. T-Mobile offers high-speed data with excellent multi-line savings, similar to its major network companions. One of their MVNOs, Mint Mobile, is a great choice for low-data users. They offer cell phone plans ranging from 5 to 25 GB of high-speed data each month. This data goes quickly if you use your phone while out and about, but if you plan in advance, you can modulate your data usage so you don’t run out in the middle of the month.

If you have a limited data plan, we recommend ensuring that you have enough data to avoid running out in the middle of the month. 

FAQ: Your Questions About Cell Phone Coverage in Fairfield, CA, Answered

Who has the best cell phone coverage in California?

Verizon Wireless provides the best cell phone coverage in California, closely followed by AT&T. 

Is AT&T or Verizon better in California?

Verizon is stronger around the major cities, but AT&T provides the best service in the less populated areas of the state. 

How do I determine which cell carrier has the best coverage in my area?

We recommend looking at local message boards and coverage maps to determine the best cell carrier in your area. While Verizon’s network is the best overall in the state, there are many locations where its network is weaker than the competition.

TLDR: Cricket Wireless is your best bet for fast phone coverage in Fairfield, CA

Use really.com to compare! 

Whether you live in Fairfield or are planning a move, we hope this article has answered all your questions. Cell phone coverage is crucial to stay connected on your travels. Both MVNOs and major wireless providers are great choices for residents in the area. If you want more info about plans available in Fairfield, CA, you can compare carriers at Really.com to decide which phone carrier is best for you.