Does Hello Mobile Have Good Coverage? (Our Guide)

When you’re searching for a new phone plan there’s a lot of different factors to consider and a major one, one that can be a deal-breaker or deal-maker for many customers, is coverage. 

Having solid, reliable coverage in this day and age is super important, especially when you don’t have a reliable wifi source when you’re out and about. We don’t want dropped calls, texts never sent, or worse- an important email to your boss you need sent ASAP. 

So yeah, it’s good to have good coverage and today we’re here to talk about the MVNO Hello Mobile. Hello Mobile is a low-costing, no-contract wireless provider that many flock to for their incredible deals and versatile phone plans. But does Hello Mobile have good coverage? And do they have the right phone plan for your phone needs? All of that and more answered in our guide to all things Hello Mobile.

• Quick Overview: Hello Mobile’s Coverage Map
• What carrier does Hello Mobile use to provide coverage?
• 5G Coverage vs LTE Coverage
• Hello Mobile’s Phone Plans & Data Speeds
• Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Overview: Hello Mobile’s Coverage Map

A “coverage map” is the map you’ll sometimes get a glimpse of on those TV commercials for wireless providers showing off the amount of coverage they provide via dots or colors. Though it’s not something you can only view on TV, in fact typically when you go to the company’s website you’ll see a tab either titled “Coverage” or “Coverage Map” you can click on to view their map in full. Zoom in and out and type in your address so you can see what type of coverage is near you. Nowadays with the advancements in wireless communication technology you will see a few “types” of signal, 5G and 4G LTE being the most widely recognized and used technologies. 

Here’s a wide view of Hello Mobile’s Coverage Map so you can see where and how far their signal goes:

Hello Mobile’s coverage covers most of the United States including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

What you will find is that Hello Mobile doesn’t just show off their 5G and 4G LTE coverage, when you zoom in they display their 5G mid-band, 5G low-band, 4G LTE, 3G/2G, Partner, and No Coverage. But if you aren’t familiar with all the type(s) of signal you might be wondering what the difference is between the five, don’t worry, we got you:

• 5G Mid-Band - As we’ve evolved from the first generation of wireless communication technology we are expected to continue that trend in making the very best with 5G expanded technologies like 5G mid-band. 5G mid-band is a different spectrum band under the 5G umbrella, offering “a balance of speed, capacity, coverage, and penetration that’s especially great for densely populated metropolitan areas where connectivity demand is high.” 5G is the best of both worlds when you’re comparing the 5G high-band mmWave spectrum and 5G low-band technologies. 
• 5G Low-Band - Now we know that 5G mid-band is the “middle ground” but what is 5G low-band? 5G low-band is kind of like the foundation of the road, the cement if you will. You can’t have mid-band and high-band without low-band. 5G low-band “refers to frequencies below 1 GHz used to roll out substantial 5G coverage as quickly as possible.” Low-band covers a wider surface area and can deliver 5G technology to further places that might not normally get that type of signal.

You may be familiar with 4G LTE and the other signal(s) displayed on the Hello Mobile coverage map, but let’s do a quick recap just so we get a good lay of the land.

• 4G LTE - 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is the next step up from 3G. It’s the most widespread wireless data technology we currently have. If you don’t yet have a 5G capable phone or live in an area with accessible 5G coverage then you will more than likely be under the 4G LTE umbrella.
• 3G/2G - 3G/2G (Third Generation and Second Generation respectively) coverage is the most outdated wireless technology on the map. It is slowly being phased out in order to extend LTE and 5G technologies. However for our super rural areas 3G and 2G coverage is helpful as they are very isolated from any reach of 5G/4G LTE coverage. If you have a 4G LTE and/or 5G capable phone and live in an area with 5G/4G LTE coverage you won’t need to worry too much about this marker on the map.
• Partner - The titled “Partner” coverage is for areas that don’t have any cell towers near them. Meaning when you aren’t close to a cell tower, one of their local wireless network partners will provide you coverage. This signal will vary depending on the partner and location.

The Hello Mobile Coverage Map is definitely worth a closer look so you can see what coverage your home and city fall under.

What carrier does Hello Mobile use to provide coverage?

We mentioned very briefly at the beginning that Hello Mobile is a MVNO. But what does that mean for their coverage? Well, a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) describes smaller wireless providers that don’t own their own cell towers to provide coverage to customers. They instead will utilize a provider that does own their own cell towers by “buying” data in bulk and piggybacking the signal. 

For Hello Mobile, they work with T-Mobile to provide coverage. T-Mobile is one of the “big three” in wireless along with Verizon and AT&T. T-Mobile is known for their reliable and widespread 5G coverage.

5G Coverage vs LTE Coverage

It’s time to compare Hello Mobile’s 5G and 4G LTE coverage, and now that we know they are under the T-Mobile umbrella we can in-turn look at T-Mobile’s coverage. Open Signal reported that “T-Mobile remains the sole winner of both 5G speed and both 5G coverage awards, while also widening its lead over its competitors for 5G Download Speed and 5G Availability.” So for our 5G fans you know you’re going to get some of the best. 

As for their LTE coverage, well, they are behind Verizon and AT&T but not by much, in fact it’s only a few percent less. Plus with the slow roll-out of new advancements in 5G technologies it’s safe to assume that jumping on the 5G train might be the move. 

Hello Mobile’s Phone Plans & Data Speeds

Now that we have our coverage map and information gathered the time has come to view Hello Mobile’s phone plans. They have four unlimited plans and four limited standard plans. Let’s first look at their more popular unlimited plans:

And now let’s take a look at their limited standard plans for our data users who don’t need “unlimited” –

From a quick glance at each of these plans you’ll notice a few things. One, each Hello Mobile plan no matter the cost or “tier” comes with the same benefits, in fact you’ll notice the only thing that consistently changes is the amount of data and the price. It’s simple really, Hello Mobile doesn’t want any of their customers to have to deal with pulling their hair out trying to decide which plan they should go with based on certain criteria. It’s a perfect wireless provider for those looking for uncomplicated. 

Now it’s good to note a couple of things about Hello Mobile before we wrap up. Since Hello Mobile is a MVNO you may experience data deprioritization and throttling. 

Need a refresher?

• Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers.” In times of high traffic- like when you’re at a sporting event or concert and everyone around you is using their phones, or network congestion- when there’s too many data transmissions happening for the network’s bandwidth to handle so it gets “clogged up” for a bit before it can go back to normal speeds, you’ll experience slower data speeds. 

This happens to those signed up with a MVNO because they aren’t signed up directly to the one providing the coverage. Hello Mobile customers will experience moments of deprioritization in order for T-Mobile to give priority to direct T-Mobile customers. Though it’s good to know that this is temporary, so it’ll only be in those peak times, it can still be annoying to those who wou;d like their phone working at “top” speed all the time.

Our REALLY Tip to Know

Recurring data deprioritization can normally be pointed to specific times of the day like mornings when people are waking up and checking their phone. Or late afternoons when people are getting home from work and want to relax so they go on TikTok to unwind.

• Throttling is “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable.” This will happen when a phone user goes over their monthly allotment of data. These speeds will go down and will return at the start of your next billing cycle, so be cautious of going over certain data limits too fast as you might get your speeds slowed down considerably. 

We’ve looked into what Hello Mobile’s data threshold number is, but it’s not overtly advertised on their website and it seems that they haven’t put that information anywhere that’s easily accessible. There are a few online sources that state it looks like Hello Mobile’s data cap is set to 15 to 20GBs per month. So once you reach that past that number in the month, prepare for your speeds to slow down until the next “start date” in your cycle.

For lighter data users Hello Mobile is a solid option, but those who need their data, you may want to look somewhere else.

Frequently Asked Questions - Wrap Up!

Let’s summarize what info we learned in a three FAQ wrap up.

Does Hello Mobile offer any “add ons”? And if so, what are they?

Since Hello Mobile doesn’t offer the biggest data threshold and their limited data plans are truly limited you might have a month where you know you’ll be out more, meaning you’ll need a few extra gigabytes of data or minutes to add to your plan.

But does Hello Mobile offer such a thing?

Yes, you’re in luck as Hello Mobile offers “top-offs” for both data and minutes. You can add them via your account page for the month(s) you need it or enroll in their Auto-Refill program which allows you to keep up to date with your service so you never run out. 

Can I bring my own phone? How does that work?

Yes! You can bring your own phone to Hello Mobile and switch over easily- no need to worry about purchasing a new phone, as long as your phone is unlocked and compatible with their service you should have no issues. 

The Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP) page has a “Check Compatibility” section where you can choose to do a “Quick Check” by inputting what carrier and brand of phone you use or you can “Get More Accurate Results with IMEI” – there they will have you type in your phone’s IMEI number (which can be found in your phone’s settings) and then they will tell you if your make and model is compatible. 

How long does it take for my Hello Mobile SIM card to arrive?

Typically you’ll get your SIM card in the mail within 2-5 business days according to their Help Center. And as with any package nowadays you’ll be able to track it when they send you an email with a confirmation number.

Overall Hello Mobile is great for the light-data user and since their coverage is covered by T-Mobile you’ll expect to get some good data usage when you do actually use it out in the world.

But if you’re still not sure and want to double check all of your options just in case, you can compare and contrast Hello Mobile to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.