There is no place quite like home and this is the case for many people who live in Virginia, home to Washington DC and rooted in the history of the United States. Virginia is a marvelous state to live in and it is the home of the White House, the Appalachian Trail, many presidential homes, the Arlington National Cemetery, and a ton of other cultural aspects of how the United States came to be.
Whether you live in Virginia, or are planning on making a big move to the state, it’s crucial to get an idea of the best cell phone service and coverage that is offered. Making sure that you know which mobile provider has the best coverage for great call and text performance and fast 5G speeds can help to ensure you’re connected, no matter what part of the state you’re in.
In this article, you’ll learn a lot when it comes to cell phone plans, choosing the right mobile provider in Virginia, and more including:
Out of the three main mobile providers, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile, it is important to get an idea of which one has the best service and coverage in Virginia.
All three have their pros and cons, but one outweighs the rest in terms of full coverage throughout the state of Virginia, and Verizon Wireless takes the lead. Verizon Wireless covers up to 100% of the state in coverage and call and text performance. This mobile provider is also known for their incredible fast 5G data speeds where up to 64% of the state is covered and 4G LTE coverage is up to 98%.
Coming in second place is AT&T who is neck and neck with Verizon in terms of overall coverage statewide. They also cover up to 100% of the state of Virginia with reliable cell phone service and coverage to make phone calls from anywhere at any time with almost no dead zones. Their 5G coverage is lower than Verizon’s though as they only cover up to 41% of the state, but make up for it with 4G LTE coverage up to 97%.
Last but certainly not least is T-Mobile, while they may come in third in terms of coverage in Virginia, but they offer the best 5G coverage and speeds out of the main mobile providers. T-Mobile’s coverage across Virginia is 99%, which is still extremely good, and their 5G coverage is up to 92%, with 4G LTE not falling too far behind at 91%.
Many customers have discussed which mobile provider works best for them and for almost all of them, they have good experience with T-Mobile in Washington DC and the metro, but reaching any rural areas throughout the state, the service wasn’t as good. Verizon Wireless makes up for the coverage in rural areas of Virginia AT&T has also been regarded as a great mobile provider with exceptional coverage in cities, but customer experience dead zones here are there.
If you are wondering which mobile provider will give you the best cell phone service and coverage in the area that you specifically live in, looking at a coverage map is your best option. Coverage maps allow you to plug in your address and help determine which mobile provider works best in the area you live in to get the best service possible.
Choosing a cell phone plan from a mobile provider can be a more expensive option, especially if you’re on a tight budget. A Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or MVNO for short, is a great alternative for people who are trying to save money, but also get a reliable plan with working service and coverage.
A Mobile Virtual Network Operator is a great option if you want to save hundreds of dollars per year on a cell phone plan, while still taking advantage of the network of one of the three major mobile providers. Depending on the MVNO that you choose, it will share the network of one of the Mobile Network Operators (MNO).
To put it into perspective, Verizon Wireless and AT&T are carriers from Mobile Network Operators, which means they maintain their own networks. Boost Mobile on the other hand is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), which means they buy minutes from an MNO with extra capacity and resell under their own brand. In this case, Boost Mobile uses the power of AT&T's network to provide reliable coverage at a lower price.
One of the cons of getting a MVNO is that they suffer from deprioritization. Deprioritization is where your service and 4G LTE or 5G speeds slow down significantly due to congestion during busy hours during the day. Customers that have a plan through a major provider will always get first priority and the best coverage and data speeds over an MVNO, but this also is why they are a more expensive option.
Let’s take a look at which of these carriers use the network that gives people in Virginia the most coverage.
#1 in Virginia Beach: Verizon Wireless
Trying to find the best cell phone plan in Virginia can be tough, especially if they use Verizon Wireless’ network coverage. Getting a plan directly through Verizon Wireless is your best option when it comes to selecting a cell phone plan with some of the best service and they are known for having some of the best 4G LTE and 5G range in Virginia.
Features of a Verizon Wireless cell phone plan include:
Price: Verizon Wireless cell phone plans are very affordable and many people enjoy the price of their plan which is as little as $35 up to $50 per line per month on a plan with all of the extra features that you may find necessary.
Plan: There are three cell phone plans offered through Verizon Wireless. They all include everything that you will need from unlimited talk, text, and data, but you can enjoy extra entertainment options the more expensive the plan is.
#2 in Chesapeake: Boost Mobile (AT&T)
One of the best MVNOs that you can get and also use AT&T’s cell phone service and coverage is Boost Mobile.
Features of a Boost Mobile cell phone plan include:
Price: Boost Mobile offers a bunch of different options for cell phone plans that will fit right in your price range for either yourself, or your family. Their plans run from $15 to $60 per month depending on how much data you need and also how many lines you will need.
Plan: The only downfall of Boost Mobile is that they do not have any truly unlimited cell phone plans where you can continuously use data all month long. They have set data allotment plans that range anywhere from 2GB to 35GB and once you read the data cap, your speeds will slow down drastically.
Trying to find one of the best unlimited plans through an MVNO can be difficult, but luckily there are options out there, such as Google Fi.
Features of a Google Fi cell phone plan include:
Price: Google Fi cell phone plans are very affordable and you can choose their pay-as-you-go plan for $17 per month plus $10 for every GB you use, or you can splurge a little bit more and pay $20 to $40 per month depending on the unlimited plan you choose.
Plan: There are three main plans to choose from with Google Fi are a pay-as-you-go plan, which essentially means that you pay for the amount of GBs that you use. It starts out at a flat rate of $17 per month and you pay $10 for every GB you use. You can also choose one of their unlimited plans that include everything from unlimited talk, text, data, and a mobile hotspot.
Check out some of the best MVNOs that work great in Virginia:
Take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to cell phone service and coverage in Virginia!
AT&T has very good coverage in Virginia, but it comes in second place compared to Verizon Wireless. They cover up to 100% of the state with reliable service, but their 5G coverage is up to 41% of the state and 4G LTE coverage is up to 97%.
Out of the three major mobile providers, Verizon Wireless offers some of the best service and coverage throughout the United States where 70% of the nation is covered, including Virginia.
The easiest way to find the best cell phone coverage is by putting your address in on a coverage map. The coverage map will then be able to pinpoint the best mobile provider to get a cell phone plan through for where you live in Virginia.
When it comes to choosing the best mobile provider with the best cell phone service and coverage in Virginia, Verizon Wireless offers the best. AT&T and T-Mobile are also great choices that will work depending on where you live in the state.
Switching to a new cell phone plan can be difficult in Virginia, so why not look into Really to help you narrow down which cell phone plan and provider is best for you! At Really, you can compare phone plans to save money and see what carriers are available in your area. You can narrow it down by price, best value and more, and even click on the plan you wish to learn more about in an instant.
Yep, we offer premium wireless service on the T-Mobile® 5G Network, the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in Austin, TX you’ll also get access to our decentralized phone network powered by the people which will give you even faster speeds and better coverage.
Nope, it’s pay as you go.
Yeah! You put your card on file and prepay each month so that you never experience any disruption.
Yep, but it’s super easy to unlock your device as long as it’s paid off. Chat with us and a real human can help you here.
We have some recommendations on what we think you should get, from iPhones to Droids. Check out our list here which includes affordable places online to get a good deal.
It means we are building a phone network that is powered by the people. Your neighbors put small radios on their roof and help extend the phone network to cover deadzones™ and get even faster speeds. Right now our DeWi network is available in Austin, but we’ll be expanding to other cities REALLY soon. Learn more about DeWi here.
Great question. If you’re in Austin, TX, you’ll install 2 new SIMs. The REALLY nationwide SIM as your first SIM, which will give you voice / text & data on the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network powered by T-Mobile®. Your 2nd SIM will give you access to the REALLY DeWi network in Austin, TX, which you’ll prioritize when available so that you get even faster speeds and better coverage. Depending on your device, you may be able to install eSIMs via a QR code.
Yep, we are powered by T-Mobile®, the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in Austin, TX you’ll also get access to our decentralized phone network powered by the people which will give you even faster speeds and better coverage.
The plan is unlimited, but once you reach 20GB you may experience slower speeds depending on network usage.
You get 10GB of hotspot data per month, but can add more if you need to.
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