2025’s Best Mobile Internet in the USA – The Ultimate Showdown of Speed, Coverage & Value

Key Findings & Highlights

• Network Performance: Recent testing shows a split decision on the “best” network. AT&T was crowned the overall winner in late-2024 by one major study (RootMetrics), thanks to strong reliability and coverage, while T-Mobile delivered by far the fastest 5G/4G data speeds and broadest 5G coverage ^{[1] [2]}. Verizon remains a close competitor, excelling in certain 5G metrics (like reliability and video quality) ^[3].
• 5G Coverage & 4G LTE:T-Mobile leads in 5G reach – its 5G covers ~325 million people across 1.9 million square miles (more than AT&T and Verizon combined) ^[4]. Verizon and AT&T still provide slightly more extensive LTE coverage in many remote/rural areas, but their mid-band 5G footprints (the super-fast 5G) trail T-Mobile’s. T-Mobile’s “Ultra Capacity” mid-band 5G now reaches around 300 million people ^[5], whereas Verizon’s mid-band 5G (Ultra Wideband) targeted ~250 million by end of 2024 ^[6].
• Speed & Latency:T-Mobile offers the fastest mobile internet speeds in the nation – median downloads around 189 Mbps (Q4 2023) – roughly double AT&T and Verizon’s speeds ^{[7] [8]}. It also led in upload speeds and low latency in many tests ^[9]. However, AT&T and Verizon have narrowed the gap by deploying new 5G spectrum, and all three now deliver solid performance (often 80–100+ Mbps) in urban areas. In rural regions, speeds can drop and coverage matters more: AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G networks often provide more reliable coverage in remote areas, while T-Mobile’s 5G coverage advantage is less pronounced out on the fringes ^{[10] [11]}.
• Reliability & Coverage Quality: According to an Opensignal survey, network reliability (consistent call/data performance) is virtually neck-and-neck between T-Mobile and Verizon, with AT&T only slightly behind ^{[12] [13]}. T-Mobile was rated most reliable overall by a hair in that study (score 887 vs. Verizon’s 886 out of 1000) ^[14]. Regionally, T-Mobile fared best in the South and tied Verizon in the West, while Verizon had an edge in parts of the Midwest/Northeast ^[15]. AT&T generally ranked third on reliability in most regions ^[16], though it still scores well and its strong coverage in less populated areas gives it an advantage for some rural users ^[17].
• Pricing & Value: The big three carriers charge premium prices – a single-line on a top-tier unlimited 5G plan runs about $85–$95/month before discounts ^{[18] [19]}. These plans come loaded with high-speed data (50–60 GB of hotspot, HD streaming, etc.) ^{[20] [21]}. Cheaper unlimited plans (~$60–70) are offered with a few restrictions (slower speeds when congested, less hotspot). Multi-line family plans significantly reduce the per-line cost on the major carriers. Still, MVNOs (smaller carriers leasing network capacity) often provide better value for single lines ^[22] – for example, Mint Mobile’s annual plan can cost as little as $15–$30 per month for unlimited service on T-Mobile’s network ^{[23] [24]}, and Verizon’s own prepaid brand Visible offers unlimited data as low as $25–$30/month.
• MVNO & Prepaid Options:MVNO providers like Mint Mobile, Visible, Google Fi, Cricket and others ride on the big networks but at budget prices. They deliver essentially the same coverage and core data service ^[25], though speeds may be deprioritized in congestion (i.e. your data might slow down before a primary carrier customer’s data) ^[26]. These plans are increasingly popular: e.g. Visible (Verizon’s subsidiary) offers truly unlimited smartphone data (including 5G Ultra Wideband access) for $45/mo on Verizon’s network ^[27], or a basic unlimited plan around $30. Mint Mobile (now owned by T-Mobile) undercuts everyone with plans as low as $15/mo (paid annually) for 4G/5G service, and ~$25/mo for an “unlimited” plan (which includes 40 GB of high-speed data) ^{[28] [29]}. Google Fi Wireless (which uses T-Mobile + UScellular) offers flexible and family plans with perks like international roaming; its Unlimited Plus is about $65 for one line but includes 100 GB of high-speed data and global coverage ^{[30] [31]}. In short, MVNOs can save you a lot if you’re willing to trade off a bit of peak-time speed or some perks.
• Hotspots & Home Internet: All major carriers include mobile hotspot allowances on their smartphone plans – typically 15–50 GB of high-speed tethering on unlimited plans (e.g. T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus includes 50 GB hotspot, Verizon’s top “Ultimate” plan 60 GB) ^{[32] [33]}. After the high-speed hotspot allotment is used, speeds drop sharply. A few plans truly shine here: Verizon’s Unlimited Ultimate plan can add an extra 100 GB hotspot for $10 ^[34], and Verizon-owned Visible+ even offers unlimited hotspot data (capped at 5–15 Mbps speeds) on its $45 plan ^[35]. For heavier use or home broadband replacement, dedicated mobile broadband plans and devices are available – e.g. T-Mobile sells a 50 GB data-only hotspot plan for $50 ^[36], and Straight Talk (prepaid) offers up to 100 GB for $50 on hotspot devices ^[37]. Moreover, 5G home internet has exploded: T-Mobile and Verizon now provide fixed wireless home broadband over their cellular networks, often around $50/month for unlimited home data. T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet alone has over 6 million customers as of late 2024 ^[38], though demand is so high that over a million more are on waitlists in constrained areas ^{[39] [40]}. These services deliver typical speeds from ~100–300 Mbps for many households and have become a viable alternative to cable internet in areas with good 5G signal.
• 2024–2025 Developments: The past year has seen significant network upgrades and shifts. All carriers have now fully shut down their 3G networks, refarming that spectrum for 4G/5G – the 3G era officially ended in the U.S. in 2022 ^{[41] [42]}. 5G technology continues to advance: the big three each activated Standalone 5G (SA) service on their cores, enabling lower latency and new capabilities like network slicing. T-Mobile led with the first nationwide 5G SA network (and even began offering slicing for developers in 2023) ^[43]. Verizon and AT&T are a bit more cautious – they’ve focused SA 5G on enterprise use cases so far (for example, Verizon launched a dedicated 5G “priority slice” for first responders in mid-2025 ^[44], and AT&T rolled out 5G RedCap for IoT devices) – consumer benefits of SA 5G will ramp up in coming years. In terms of spectrum, carriers are now deeply investing in mid-band frequencies: Verizon and AT&T’s costly C-Band purchase (3.7 GHz) is mostly deployed, greatly boosting their 5G speeds (nearly half of Verizon’s wireless traffic now runs over C-Band airwaves) ^[45]. AT&T and Dish Network also acquired 3.45 GHz licenses to expand 5G capacity. T-Mobile, meanwhile, continues to capitalize on its 2.5 GHz mid-band dominance (from the Sprint merger) – it’s using that to widen its lead in 5G speed and coverage ^[46]. On the flip side, a notable critique came from analyst Craig Moffett, who quipped that Verizon’s 5G network was “like cheese – full of holes” due to gaps in mid-band coverage (he estimated Verizon’s 5G availability was around only 8% in early 2024) ^[47]. Verizon has been addressing this by accelerating cell site deployments and leveraging low-band 5G, but T-Mobile’s head-start with wider coverage spectrum has set a high bar.
• Competitive Landscape: All three major carriers today offer comparable baseline performance for the average consumer – differences in your experience will mostly come down to where you live, work, and travel. As one industry report concluded, the “best” network is highly contextual: each provider is “fiercely competitive and provide a comparable level of service. For the average user, it makes sense to go with the network that has the best service in their area rather than base the decision on national reports.” ^{[48] [49]} In practical terms, coverage in your specific location (and even building) trumps bragging rights. The good news is that 4G LTE coverage is ubiquitous nationwide, and 5G coverage (especially low-band) is now in most places you’d go. To help consumers, all three carriers offer free trial programs (e.g. T-Mobile’s Network Pass, Verizon’s Test Drive) so you can sample their network before switching. The competition is certainly heating up in 2025 – T-Mobile has been leading in subscriber growth (adding millions of customers in 2024 while Verizon barely broke even) ^[50] by promoting its 5G prowess and value, which in turn has pushed Verizon and AT&T to improve their offerings and sometimes play defense on price. Ultimately, the “best” mobile internet for you in 2025 is the one that delivers the speed, reliability, and affordability you need in the places you frequent – and thanks to ongoing upgrades and innovations, your choices have never been better.

Major Networks Performance and Coverage (Verizon vs AT&T vs T-Mobile)

When it comes to the big three carriers, all have robust nationwide networks, but each has its strengths: Verizon historically built a reputation on broad coverage and reliability, AT&T offers a balanced mix of coverage and speed, and T-Mobile has aggressively expanded 5G to leap ahead in capacity. Recent independent testing underscores this nuanced race. In the second half of 2024, RootMetrics (a network analytics firm) tested millions of data points across the U.S. and gave AT&T the highest marks for overall combined 4G/5G performance – naming it the national champion in overall network quality, as well as reliability and combined speed ^[51]. AT&T’s victory was partly attributed to its consistency and a strong “floor” of speeds even in low-signal or rural areas, which meant users got a reliably usable connection virtually everywhere. Notably, AT&T’s LTE network in smaller markets and rural highways continues to provide solid coverage where others sometimes struggle, and RootMetrics found AT&T had the highest minimum speeds among carriers (even though its top-end speeds weren’t as high as T-Mobile’s) ^[52].

However, the crown comes with caveats. T-Mobile firmly dominated pure speed metrics – RootMetrics recorded T-Mobile’s median 5G download at 350.9 Mbps nationally, more than double that of AT&T or Verizon ^[53]. In fact, T-Mobile posted 200+ Mbps median downloads in 122 of 125 cities tested, whereas AT&T managed that in 67 cities and Verizon in 61 ^[54]. This aligns with other studies: Ookla’s Speedtest analysis for Q4 2023 clocked T-Mobile’s overall median download at ~189 Mbps, versus ~91 Mbps for Verizon and ~90 Mbps for AT&T ^{[55] [56]}. In uploads, T-Mobile likewise led with ~12 Mbps median upstream, edging out Verizon (~10 Mbps) and AT&T (~8 Mbps) ^[57]. And T-Mobile’s latency (network responsiveness) is among the best – often just a few milliseconds faster than the competition, which can matter for gaming or video calls ^[58]. All this makes T-Mobile a speed leader; it has been referred to as the “undefeated” network in terms of raw 5G performance, topping the charts in 46 states and 67 of the 100 largest cities in late 2023 ^{[59] [60]}.

Verizon, meanwhile, excels in other areas. RootMetrics found Verizon had the most accolades at the metro level, leading in many city-by-city tests for reliability and call performance ^[61]. Verizon garnered 847 awards across metro areas (vs. AT&T’s 513 and T-Mobile’s 463), indicating that in many individual cities Verizon’s network delivered the best mix of call quality, texting, and data performance ^[62]. Verizon also tied AT&T for the best call quality nationally in that report ^[63]. And when it comes to 5G-specific performance, Verizon took the prize for 5G reliability and 5G overall experience in RootMetrics’ evaluation ^[64]. This was driven largely by Verizon’s investment in coverage breadth for mid-band 5G – Verizon’s 5G network in rural and suburban areas (using its new C-Band spectrum) significantly improved by late 2024, bolstering reliability scores outside city centers ^[65]. Verizon was noted to have the highest 5G reliability and 5G call/text performance of the trio, and it won RootMetrics’ “Best 5G” and “Fastest 5G” categories (though by a very narrow margin) in early 2025 ^{[66] [67]}. It’s worth mentioning Verizon has heavily focused on low latency and video quality too – one report found Verizon had the most responsive network (lowest ping) and the best video streaming experience among the big three ^[68]. These are areas Verizon often touts for applications like video calls, streaming, and online gaming.

Despite these differences, it’s important to note that all three carriers score very close in overall performance these days. In a mid-2025 assessment, RootMetrics gave AT&T an overall score of 97.7 out of 100, Verizon 97.5, and T-Mobile 95.9 ^[69]. Such a tight spread means that in practice, a typical user might not notice a nationwide “winner” – local conditions will matter more. Even RootMetrics acknowledged that T-Mobile wasn’t far behind in any category, and it actually led in 5G availability and urban speeds ^[70]. T-Mobile’s 5G was accessible around 92% of the time in their tests – far higher than Verizon’s 64.5% and AT&T’s roughly similar 60-something percent ^[71]. In plain terms, a T-Mobile user with a 5G phone will see that “5G” icon far more often than a Verizon or AT&T user, because T-Mobile has blanketed more areas with 5G signal (especially mid-band 2.5 GHz and low-band 600 MHz). T-Mobile has leveraged this in marketing, claiming its 5G network covers 325 million people and 1.9 million square miles – which they say is more geographic coverage than “AT&T and Verizon combined” for 5G ^[72]. While that combined claim involves some PR math, it’s true that T-Mobile’s low-band 5G goes rural: by using former TV frequencies in the 600 MHz range, T-Mobile can reach into countryside and through buildings easily (albeit at 4G-like speeds). AT&T and Verizon also use low-band (850 MHz and 700 MHz) for “5G” in many rural areas, but they didn’t deploy it as universally – one analysis by an industry analyst in 2024 found Verizon’s effective 5G availability was in the single digits percentage-wise, likening their mid-band 5G coverage map to Swiss cheese ^[73]. Verizon has been rapidly activating more mid-band sites to improve that, aiming to cover 250 million+ people with C-band 5G by the end of 2024 ^[74], up from ~200 million in early 2023. AT&T, after a slower start, is also ramping up mid-band 5G (using C-Band and 3.45 GHz) and was estimated to reach over 150 million people with mid-band 5G by 2024. In terms of 4G LTE, Verizon and AT&T still hold a slight edge in sheer landmass covered – each claims ~70%+ of US land area with LTE. T-Mobile’s LTE network (62% of land area by one estimate ^[75]) improved post-Sprint merger but can still be spotty in some very remote regions (far rural West, etc.). For most Americans, though, all three have LTE where people live and commute, and T-Mobile’s fast-expanding 5G has largely closed the coverage gap except in the most isolated pockets.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for the fastest mobile internet and especially if you have a 5G phone, T-Mobile is a compelling choice in 2025 – it delivers blistering speeds (often 2× the others) ^{[76] [77]} and an expansive 5G footprint reaching deep into suburbs and rural highways ^[78]. If you prioritize coverage quality and reliability, AT&T and Verizon are excellent, with AT&T slightly ahead in overall reliability scores nationally ^[79] and Verizon shining in dense urban networks and call quality ^[80]. Each carrier has regions where it’s strongest; for example, T-Mobile tends to do very well across the South and West ^[81], Verizon in the Northeast and Midwest cities ^[82], and AT&T has pockets of dominance in parts of the Southeast and Great Plains (often due to legacy infrastructure or regional spectrum holdings). It’s wise to check coverage maps and even test out a service (many carriers now offer free trial SIMs or eSIMs) to see which network performs best for you. The “best network in the USA” overall might be hotly debated between carriers’ marketing teams, but the best network for you will depend on your specific coverage needs and whether you value peak speed vs. consistency vs. other factors.

Data Speeds, Latency and Reliability – Urban vs. Rural Breakdown

One of the most noticeable aspects of mobile internet is speed – how fast you can download or upload data. In 2025, U.S. mobile speeds are higher than ever thanks to 5G deployments. As noted, T-Mobile currently leads in raw download and upload speeds nationwide. In late 2023, T-Mobile’s median download was about 188–189 Mbps ^[83], while Verizon and AT&T hovered around 90 Mbps. That gap has been persistent: an Opensignal report in mid-2024 found T-Mobile’s average download was over three times Verizon’s ^[84]. This advantage comes from T-Mobile’s head start on mid-band 5G (2.5 GHz “Ultra Capacity” 5G) which offers fiber-like speeds when available. Indeed, T-Mobile has turned on ultra-fast mid-band 5G coverage for 300 million people as of 2024 ^[85], and many users in those areas see everyday speeds in the 100–300+ Mbps range. Verizon and AT&T, having launched mid-band 5G a bit later (early 2022 for AT&T’s C-band, mid-2022 for Verizon’s, once spectrum was cleared), initially lagged. But they have rapidly improved: Verizon in particular saw a “strong increase” in 5G speeds in late 2023 as it rolled out better 5G hardware and wider channels – its median 5G download jumped from ~154 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 196 Mbps in Q4 ^{[86] [87]}. AT&T’s median 5G download also climbed to 125+ Mbps by Q4 2023 (up from ~101 Mbps earlier) ^{[88] [89]}. So while Verizon and AT&T’s overall speeds (including 4G areas) still trail T-Mobile, in locations with their new mid-band 5G live, many Verizon/AT&T users can now enjoy 150–250 Mbps peaks.

Latency (network response time) and reliability metrics are also crucial, especially for things like video calls, gaming, or just the general feel of snappy internet. Here the playing field is more level. In Ookla’s tests, the network consistency (the percentage of times users got at least 5 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload – a basic threshold for “good” connectivity) was about 87.3% on T-Mobile vs 83.7% on Verizon and 81.3% on AT&T ^[90]. That means all three deliver a baseline broadband experience well over 80% of the time. As 5G coverage grows, these consistency numbers keep improving. Latency on 5G is typically in the range of 20–30 milliseconds on all carriers under good conditions. T-Mobile has had a slight edge with its standalone 5G core (sometimes achieving sub-20ms pings), but Verizon and AT&T are not far behind. In fact, a recent report noted Verizon had the most responsive network (likely due to its network optimizations and fiber backhaul investments), which contributed to Verizon winning a “Best Video Experience” award – low latency and stable connection are key for high-quality video streaming ^[91]. For everyday activities (web browsing, social media, streaming music/video), any of the big networks will usually feel comparable in responsiveness unless one is heavily congested in your area.

The urban vs. rural divide, however, remains a factor. Urban areas: In cities and suburbs, 5G is widely available and carriers often have extra spectrum deployed, so speeds tend to be highest. It’s not unusual in major cities to see speedtests on all three networks above 100 Mbps. T-Mobile often hits the highest peaks (500 Mbps to even 1 Gbps in some locations with massive mid-band or mmWave 5G). Verizon’s mmWave 5G (branded “Ultra Wideband”) can achieve multi-gigabit speeds, but it’s limited to small downtown zones and venues. More commonly, Verizon’s mid-band 5G in cities yields a few hundred Mbps at best, similar to AT&T’s in areas where AT&T has 100 MHz or more of C-band. Where multiple 5G bands are aggregated, Verizon and AT&T have been catching up – by 2024 Verizon started combining C-band with its mmWave or other bands, yielding big boosts in capacity. So in a downtown area, a Verizon user might get 300–500 Mbps on 5G UW, an AT&T user perhaps 200–300 Mbps on 5G+, and a T-Mobile user 300–600 Mbps on Ultra Capacity 5G. These differences fluctuate, and frankly all are extremely fast for mobile. In major cities tested by RootMetrics, T-Mobile was notable for one feat: it was the only carrier to hit median speeds of 100+ Mbps in all 125 cities they tested ^[92] – a testament to T-Mobile’s focus on consistently high urban throughput. Verizon and AT&T also had many cities in the 100+ Mbps median range but not every single one.

Rural and small-town areas: Once you leave the metro, you often leave behind mid-band 5G and fall back to low-band 5G or 4G LTE. Here, absolute speeds drop, and coverage (having any signal at all) becomes king. Verizon and AT&T have long invested in coverage, so you’ll generally find at least a 4G signal on those networks in most rural corners of the country – even if it’s only 1–2 bars of LTE delivering maybe 5–10 Mbps on a remote highway. T-Mobile’s coverage in rural areas improved significantly after it absorbed Sprint (adding many rural tower sites) and deployed low-band 5G on its 600 MHz spectrum. Still, there are isolated rural regions where Verizon or AT&T might have a usable signal and T-Mobile might not (or not until you reach the next town). For data reliability off the beaten path, many travelers still favor Verizon for its legacy reputation of “if there’s any signal, it’s probably Verizon.” AT&T isn’t far behind – it actually has more native coverage in some states in the Southeast and Midwest. T-Mobile’s coverage map has filled in a lot, and they report that their extended range 5G (low-band) covers 1.9 million square miles ^[93], which indicates T-Mobile has greatly closed the coverage gap. But users and third-party tests note that Verizon and AT&T can have an edge in certain remote pockets (e.g. mountainous terrain, rural Midwest) for consistent LTE coverage ^[94].

In rural areas where all three have coverage, the speeds might actually favor T-Mobile now, because T-Mobile’s low-band 5G is more widely deployed. Verizon’s low-band “nationwide 5G” is essentially sharing 4G bandwidth via DSS, offering little to no speed improvement over LTE. AT&T similarly has low-band 5G that’s more like “5GE” (just slightly improved LTE). So a T-Mobile user in a small town might get 50 Mbps on 5G where a Verizon user sees 10–20 Mbps on 4G. However, Verizon is remedying this by extending C-band and using its new cell site satellite backhaul in rural cell towers to expand 5G in hard-to-reach areas. By early 2025, Verizon said it “will blow past” its goal of 250 million POPs of mid-band 5G, indicating many smaller markets are coming online with better speeds ^[95]. AT&T also acquired some of the 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum that it’s deploying in more rural areas to augment capacity.

When discussing reliability (the ability to get and hold a connection without drops), all three claim 99%-plus call success rates and similar stats. A tangible measure is network availability – Opensignal’s metrics for 4G/5G availability show Verizon slightly ahead with a score of 9.6/10 in coverage experience, just above AT&T’s 9.5, with T-Mobile a bit lower ^[96]. This reflects the fact that a Verizon or AT&T phone might show “No Service” slightly less often than a T-Mobile phone in really remote or in-building scenarios. On the other hand, T-Mobile leads in 5G availability by a large margin (you’ll have a 5G signal more often) ^[97], which can contribute to a better experience if that 5G is providing extra capacity. In practical terms, any of the big networks will be highly reliable in cities and on interstates. For someone in a rural farmhouse or who frequently road-trips in sparsely populated areas, checking coverage maps and perhaps opting for Verizon or AT&T (or an MVNO on those networks) might reduce the chance of dead zones. It’s also worth noting the carriers have been rolling out features like carrier aggregation and 4×4 MIMO even on LTE in rural sites, which improved data stability and speed. And for truly isolated spots, Verizon and AT&T offer robust roaming agreements (and both are part of the FirstNet public safety network which extends coverage through rural cell sites and deployable units). T-Mobile has roaming too, but in fewer areas since it now covers most places itself.

In summary, urban users in 2025 can expect very fast 5G from T-Mobile, Verizon catching up quickly with its Ultra Wideband, and AT&T not far behind – all plenty fast for streaming 4K video, downloading large files on the go, etc. Rural users will find that coverage is more important than raw speed: Verizon and AT&T might have the slight edge in “no service” avoidance, but T-Mobile’s low-band 5G is giving it surprising reach as well. And importantly, the reliability of performing everyday tasks (email, maps, streaming music, standard-definition video) is high on all networks. Even the slowest median download speeds in the country’s tests were well above 50 Mbps in Q4 2023 (the slowest city, Anchorage, still averaged ~59 Mbps downloads ^[98]). To put that in perspective, that’s enough to stream HD video and then some. The differences emerge at the extremes – e.g., who can maintain a video call without stuttering in a moving train through farmland, or who can get a website to load in a congested stadium. In those cases, network investments like Verizon’s mmWave in stadiums or T-Mobile’s capacity advantages may make one perform better than another.

One final note on reliability: carriers measure things like dropped call rates and text delivery rates too. All three are over 99% on those, but AT&T and Verizon historically led on call reliability. RootMetrics 2H2024 tests showed AT&T and Verizon essentially tied for best call performance (score 94.4 each) while T-Mobile was just a hair behind (94.2 – all A grades) ^{[99] [100]}. So voice is essentially a non-issue now – gone are the days of “Can you hear me now?” as a differentiator among these networks, assuming you have coverage bars. All carriers mostly use VoLTE (Voice over LTE) for calls and are introducing VoNR (Voice over 5G) in some areas; call quality is generally crisp and on par across networks.

Plans, Pricing, and Value: Unlimited & Prepaid Options

The cost of mobile internet is a huge part of what makes a network “best” for many people. In the U.S., the big carriers’ plans aren’t cheap – but they have become more flexible and come with a lot of extras. Here’s how the landscape looks in 2025:

Major Carrier Unlimited Plans: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile now all primarily sell unlimited data plans (with various tiers). A single smartphone line on one of these postpaid unlimited plans typically ranges from about $60 per month on the low end (for a basic tier with some limitations) up to around $85–95 per month for the top-tier “premium” plan ^{[101] [102]}. Those prices are before any device payments or promotions, and assume you use automatic billing discounts. The premium plans are the ones with the highest performance: for example, AT&T’s Unlimited Premium (about $85/mo base) includes unlimited high-speed data with no deprioritization cap and 60 GB of high-speed hotspot use ^[103]. Verizon’s Unlimited Ultimate (around $90/mo) similarly includes unlimited priority data, 60 GB hotspot, and Ultra Wideband 5G access ^[104] – Verizon even lets you add on another 100 GB of hotspot for $10 if needed ^[105]. T-Mobile’s top Go5G Plus (~$90/mo) offers un-throttled data up to 100 GB (after 100 GB, you might be slowed if the network’s congested), 50 GB hotspot, 4K video streaming, plus perks like Netflix bundled and high-speed international roaming in many countries ^[106]. These premium plans are truly full-featured – great for power users who want maximum performance (they won’t slow your speeds even if you use hundreds of GB a month, unlike lower plans that might), and the generous hotspot allows you to tether your laptop or tablet extensively.

However, not everyone needs all the bells and whistles. The carriers also have basic unlimited plans (sometimes just called “Starter” or “Basic” plans). Those often cost around $65–70 for one line (and much less per line if you have a family of 3-4 on the account). These entry-level unlimited plans usually do have some limitations: for instance, Verizon’s Unlimited Welcome (their base plan) offers unlimited data but at lower priority – meaning your speeds could slow down during congestion before other premium users, and it doesn’t include hotspot data by default. AT&T’s Unlimited Starter similarly provides unlimited data but no dedicated high-speed hotspot allowance and only SD (480p) streaming. T-Mobile had its Essentials plan at about $60 that was unlimited but with no perks, limited hotspot (just 3G speeds), and potential deprioritization in busy times. In 2023 T-Mobile also introduced Go5G (non-Plus) which sits between Essentials and Plus, giving 100 GB premium data and 15 GB hotspot for around $75. The industry trend has been to encourage customers towards the mid and high-tier plans by packing in extras: for example, T-Mobile’s plans (Magenta and now Go5G) include taxes & fees in the price (so $85 is really $85 total), plus things like a Netflix or Apple TV+ subscription on the higher tiers. AT&T used to bundle HBO Max on its old top plan (Elite), though in 2022 they dropped that when WarnerMedia was sold – their new plans focus on security features and slightly higher data allotments rather than free streaming services. Verizon’s shift in 2023 to myPlan did away with included entertainment perks, instead offering optional add-on subscriptions (like Disney+, Hulu, Apple Music) for an extra $10 each so users can customize ^[107]. This actually let Verizon lower the base price a bit but if you want the perks you pay separately.

Family Plan Savings: It’s important to note that those high single-line prices drop dramatically as you add lines. The big carriers structure prices so that 3 or 4 lines on one account bring the cost per line of a premium plan down to the $40–60 range. For example, 4 lines on Verizon’s top plan might cost ~$200 total (around $50 each), compared to $90 for a single line. T-Mobile often advertises “4 lines for $200” on Go5G Plus (with taxes included). AT&T similarly might charge about $50/line on Unlimited Premium with a family of 4. This means if you have a family or group, you can get on the best plans for a reasonable per-person cost. Conversely, if you’re a single user, the big carrier plans are much pricier. In fact, analysts often advise single-line users to consider prepaid or MVNO options for value – a recent Business Insider analysis flat-out said that single-line seekers should avoid the major postpaid carriers, as their cost per gigabyte is far higher than what MVNOs offer ^[108]. The major carriers really compete fiercely for multi-line accounts (families, business plans, etc.), which is where they justify the premium with shared data, family perks, and so on.

Prepaid and MVNO Plans: Thankfully, consumers have a plethora of alternatives outside the big postpaid plans. Prepaid carriers (which may be owned by the big guys) and MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) lease capacity and often sell plans at a fraction of the cost. These can be especially attractive for single lines or budget-conscious users. A few notable ones in 2025:

• Mint Mobile: Mint has made a splash with ultra-low prices by selling service in bulk (multi-month packages). It runs on T-Mobile’s network. For as low as $15/month, Mint gives 4 GB of 5G/LTE data (if you pay a year upfront). Their “Unlimited” plan (which actually includes 40 GB of high-speed data before possible slowdowns) costs $30/month on a 12-month term, and they were even running a promotion at $15/month for the first year ^{[109] [110]}. Mint includes unlimited talk/text and even 10 GB of hotspot use on that unlimited plan ^[111]. The catch is you pay up front – e.g. $360 for a year – and after a year the rate could increase (Mint often has promos for renewal though). In 2023, T-Mobile’s parent company acquired Mint Mobile, but it continues to operate as a separate brand with the same quirky marketing (Ryan Reynolds ads) and cheap plans. As Mint uses T-Mobile’s network, its coverage is excellent in cities and now quite good in most areas, but data prioritization is lower than T-Mobile’s own customers – meaning in a congested area, Mint users might see slower speeds. For most, this is a non-issue except perhaps in very busy urban hotspots or during events. Mint is an excellent value for those who want lots of data for cheap and are comfortable managing their account online and paying upfront.
• Visible (by Verizon): Visible is owned by Verizon and offers just two plans: the basic Visible plan (typically $30/month, sometimes on promo for $25) and Visible+ ($45/month) ^[112]. Both include unlimited talk, text, and truly unlimited data. The base plan has unlimited data but all of it is “basic” priority (could slow when Verizon’s network is busy) and it limits mobile hotspot to one device at 5 Mbps speed (enough for simple tasks). The Visible+ plan adds 50 GB of “premium” data (meaning you won’t be slowed until after 50 GB of usage in a cycle, and even after that you’re still unlimited but just deprioritized), unlimited hotspot at 5 Mbps, and crucially it includes access to Verizon’s fastest 5G Ultra Wideband network. At $45, Visible+ undercuts Verizon’s own postpaid premium plan by a lot, albeit with the hotspot speed cap and slightly less roaming support. For many, Visible is a fantastic deal to get on Verizon’s network cheaply. There are no physical stores – you sign up online and either get a SIM mailed or use eSIM. Customer service is online-only. But as an MVNO, it’s one of the simplest offerings and very popular. In fact, Visible Plus was highlighted as one of the best “premium” unlimited values – at $45 for truly unlimited data including 5G UW and 4K streaming, it’s nearly half the price of comparable big-carrier plans ^[113].
• Cricket Wireless: Cricket is AT&T’s prepaid arm. They have a $55/mo unlimited plan (taxes included) and a $60 plan that adds 15 GB mobile hotspot and HBO Max (ad-supported) included. Cricket’s unlimited data is usually capped at 8 Mbps on the cheaper plan or Cricket might have lifted speed caps in recent years for the premium plan. Cricket also offers group discounts and is known for solid coverage (since it’s AT&T’s network) and allowing up to 5 lines for $125 total on their basic unlimited.
• Google Fi Wireless: Google Fi (formerly Project Fi) uses a combination of T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular (plus switching to Wi-Fi hotspots) to provide service. Fi is unique in that it has a Flexible plan where you pay per GB ($10/GB) on top of a base $20 fee – good for very light data users or secondary travel line. But for most, Fi has moved to traditional unlimited plans: Fi Unlimited Plus at $65/mo is the full-feature one with 100 GB high-speed, 100 GB Google One storage, free international data roaming in 200+ countries, and even data-only SIMs for tablets at no extra cost ^[114]. There’s also a cheaper Fi Unlimited Simply (Essentials) at $50/mo that gives 35 GB before slow-down and no high-speed hotspot (Fi Essentials allows 5 GB hotspot from that data pool). One noteworthy aspect – Google Fi’s data is top priority on T-Mobile’s network, reportedly equivalent to T-Mobile postpaid priority ^{[115] [116]}. This means Fi users often don’t get slowed in congestion as much as other MVNO users might, which is a big plus if you’re in crowded network areas. Fi also shines for international use (unlimited texts and same $10/GB abroad or free on the Premium plan). The downsides are cost (single-line Fi isn’t cheaper than the big carriers; it’s targeting frequent travelers or Google phone enthusiasts) and a more limited phone selection (though nowadays Fi works with most unlocked phones, not just Pixels).
• Other MVNOs: Dozens exist, a few popular ones include US Mobile (operates on Verizon and T-Mobile, very customizable plans – e.g. an Unlimited Basic for ~$25 and Unlimited Premium ~$45 with perks like streaming subscriptions; US Mobile has a reputation for great customer service and even offers “pooled” family plans), Tello (uses T-Mobile, extremely cheap custom plans like $10 for 1GB – great for low-usage or kids; named a top budget pick ^{[117] [118]}), Boost Mobile (uses AT&T/T-Mobile now, has various unlimited and capped plans and sometimes very aggressive promotional rates), Metro by T-Mobile (T-Mobile’s own prepaid brand, known for multi-line deals and including Amazon Prime or Google One on higher plans), and Straight Talk (a TracFone brand now owned by Verizon, still offering plans on all networks depending on SIM, popular at Walmart for no-frills service).

The key pattern with MVNOs and prepaid is value for money. They often provide the same unlimited talk and text, and a large bucket of high-speed data, at a fraction of the price of postpaid. The trade-offs can include: no roaming off the native network (many prepaid don’t roam internationally or onto partner networks domestically as postpaid might), lower customer support or retail presence, and the aforementioned deprioritization during peak times. Data deprioritization means if the network cell is congested, the MVNO users may see their speeds slow down first, while carrier’s own users continue at full speed. In day-to-day use, many don’t notice this, but for heavy users in crowded city centers, it could occasionally matter. Another limitation: some MVNO “unlimited” plans do actually have a high-speed data cap (like 35 GB) after which they slow you to maybe 2G speeds for the rest of the month – always check the fine print. That said, a number of MVNOs now truly offer unlimited (Visible, US Mobile’s highest tier, Boost Infinite, etc.) where they won’t cut you off, they’ll just deprioritize if congested. For a general consumer, these plans are extremely attractive. It’s no surprise that a report found “MVNOs like Mint Mobile, Visible Wireless, and others offer the best value that major carriers can’t match” for single lines ^[119].

One more angle: Phone deals and bundles. The major carriers often include the cost of a new phone in the plan via device installment deals, and they run promotions like “free iPhone 15 with trade-in” (bill credits over 24 months) – these generally require staying on a premium plan. MVNOs and prepaid carriers more often have you BYO phone or pay upfront, though some like Metro or Boost have phone discounts for switching. If getting the latest device for minimal upfront cost is important, sometimes a postpaid carrier plan can actually be a good value when factoring in a $800-1000 phone credit. But if you have a good phone already or buy unlocked, the monthly savings of an MVNO are very compelling.

To summarize, on pricing: Big carriers = more expensive, especially for one line, but with premium features, perks, and massive multi-line discounts. Prepaid/MVNO = far cheaper options, nearly same service for most uses, but usually require bringing your own device and accepting slightly lower priority and fewer add-ons. Value-for-money is subjective, but many industry experts point out that if you don’t need things like 4K streaming, 50 GB hotspot, or free Netflix, you can save hundreds of dollars a year by using an alternative carrier without noticing much difference in your day-to-day mobile internet experience ^{[120] [121]}. And switching has gotten easier – you can even try some services via eSIM instantly. The competitive pressure from these smaller carriers is pushing the big three to offer more flexible plans (like Verizon’s myPlan or T-Mobile’s Phone Freedom campaigns where they promise not to raise rates on older plans).

MVNOs and Budget Carriers: Mint, Visible, Google Fi & More

Diving a bit deeper into the MVNO landscape, since it’s a big part of “best mobile internet” for many budget-minded consumers. We touched on several already in the highlights, but let’s flesh out the profiles of a few well-known ones:

• Mint Mobile: Runs on T-Mobile’s network. Notable for low prices in exchange for bulk purchasing (3-, 6-, or 12-month plans). Mint’s strategy is great for people who can afford to pay upfront for a longer term to get a cheap monthly rate. All plans include unlimited talk/text and use T-Mobile’s 5G/LTE network directly (no speed caps, just possible deprioritization). The range goes from 5GB, 15GB, 20GB, to “Unlimited” (which is 40 GB at full speed, then slows to 3G speeds). As mentioned, Mint’s 12-month Unlimited was on promo for $15/mo for new customers ^[122] (normally $30). Even at $30, it’s one of the best bargains – truly unlimited high-speed data (they cite users can see anywhere from 79–357 Mbps typical speeds on T-Mo’s network) ^[123], a 10 GB hotspot allotment, and free calling to Canada/Mexico included. The only downsides: you must pay $360 upfront for a year, and after 35 GB in a month your data may be deprioritized in congested areas (but there’s no hard cap – you still have data). Mint doesn’t support roaming beyond North America and no fancy perks. Since the T-Mobile acquisition, Mint will likely continue with the same model, possibly integrating more with T-Mobile’s systems (some expect even better coverage or plan flexibility in the future). For now, if you get good T-Mobile coverage, Mint is hard to beat on price. It consistently ranks “best overall value” in tech reviews for single-line plans ^{[124] [125]}.
• Visible: We discussed Visible’s unlimited plans on Verizon’s network. A big plus is there are no data caps at all – you could use 500 GB if you wanted, they won’t cut you off. On Visible’s base $30 plan you might experience slower speeds at times due to being always deprioritized, and streaming video is default DVD quality (480p). On the $45 Visible+ plan, you get 50 GB where you’ll have priority data at 5G UW speeds, and even beyond 50 GB data continues but could slow if the network is congested. It also includes 5G UW (which can go over 1 Gbps) and uncapped video streaming (so you can watch HD/4K). Importantly, Visible+ includes roaming to Canada and Mexico (up to 0.5 GB/day at high speed) which basic Visible doesn’t. Visible has simplified Verizon’s network access – it used to be that prepaid users couldn’t use Verizon’s fastest 5G, but Visible changed that. One more cool thing: Visible has had promos like bring a friend and get a month for $5, etc., and formerly they allowed “Party Pay” to bring cost down to $25 on the base plan (that program ended when they dropped the base price to $30 flat). Overall, Visible is arguably the best for unlimited on Verizon if you don’t need the extras of postpaid. It was even highlighted by some experts as “probably the best if you know you want Verizon coverage and truly unlimited data” ^{[126] [127]}.
• Google Fi Wireless: Good for tech-savvy and travel-heavy users. Fi’s unique network-switching SIM will jump between T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular to find the best signal. This can help in rural areas where one or the other might be present. Fi also can route calls/texts over Wi-Fi seamlessly (useful if you’re in a bunker-like building with Wi-Fi but no cell signal). The Flexible plan ($20 base + $10/GB) is a niche but loved by very light users or secondary line folks; it also has a Bill Protection that stops charging after 6 GB (so you never pay more than $80, at which point you could’ve gotten unlimited anyway). Fi’s Unlimited comes in three tiers as of 2023/2024: Simply Unlimited (cheapest, no hotspot, limited int’l), Unlimited Plus (expensive but feature-packed as described earlier), and a new Unlimited Premium which is basically Plus with 100 GB premium data and 50 GB hotspot and some extras for $80 (targeted at heavy data users – but at that price, it’s not cheap). Fi’s strengths: terrific international roaming (you land in Europe or Asia and your phone just works with unlimited texts and same $10/GB or free on Premium), family-friendly billing (you can mix plan types per line), and high data priority – Fi customers often report getting the same network performance as T-Mobile postpaid since Google essentially buys capacity wholesale. In fact, an Android Authority comparison noted Fi has higher data priority than Mint Mobile, for example ^[128]. Fi’s weaknesses: price for single lines (if you’re not using the international part, a pure T-Mobile plan or Mint is cheaper), and device financing options are limited to whatever phones Google sells (mostly Pixels, Samsung, Motorola). Nonetheless, Fi has a loyal niche and is among “best for international” and “best multi-network coverage” considerations.
• Cricket, Metro, Boost, etc.: Each of these caters to slightly different audiences but generally offer unlimited talk/text and a set high-speed data allowance. Cricket (on AT&T) has a strong following because of AT&T’s coverage and Cricket’s stability. Cricket’s top plan at $60 includes 15 GB hotspot and HBO Max ad-supported (as of 2022 – not sure if HBO perk remains in 2025 since HBO Max rebranded to Max). Cricket does throttle video to 480p and speeds to 8 Mbps on lower plans, but on the $60 plan they removed the 8 Mbps cap. Metro by T-Mobile positions itself as more premium prepaid: $50 unlimited plan includes 5 GB hotspot and 100 GB Google One; $60 plan includes 15 GB hotspot, Amazon Prime membership, etc. Metro is sold in stores and is popular in urban areas. Boost Mobile has been in flux since Dish Network owns it now – it has both plans on AT&T/T-Mobile and is launching a new “Boost Infinite” postpaid-like service that uses AT&T and Dish’s own fledgling network. Boost often has very cheap intro offers (like $12.50/mo for 30 GB for first year). Finally, there are smaller MVNOs like US Mobile, Ting, TracFone brands, Consumer Cellular (popular with seniors on AT&T’s network and top-rated for customer support), and more. The sheer number of options means if cost is a major factor, you can likely find a plan that fits your budget while still using one of the big three’s networks in the background.

The main takeaway on MVNOs: they provide essentially the same mobile internet experience for typical users – since they use the same cell towers, you get the same signal and baseline speed ^[129]. The differences (like slightly slower in congestion or lack of certain features like Wi-Fi calling on some MVNOs) are usually minor. For many, especially those not needing top-tier unlimited everything, an MVNO is “good enough” and the savings can be hundreds per year. The big carriers know this, which is why they each now own or partner with several MVNO brands (Verizon owns Visible and TracFone’s suite, AT&T owns Cricket, T-Mobile owns Metro and Mint, etc.). In 2025, even Cable companies like Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile are essentially Verizon MVNOs offering cut-rate unlimited plans to their home internet customers (often ~$30 for unlimited). These hybrid offerings have also been growing – they use Verizon when out and about, but offload to Wi-Fi hotspots when possible. They’re worth mentioning because if you’re already a cable customer, their mobile plans can be very economical (Xfinity’s unlimited pricing can be $30 for one line if you have their home service, for example).

In summary, MVNO and prepaid carriers are a big part of the mobile internet ecosystem. They may not boast about fastest 5G or have fancy coverage maps of their own (they rely on their host network’s coverage), but they often win on value and are an ideal choice for many people who want the benefits of big networks without the big bills. Just be mindful of the terms (high-speed data limits, potential slowdowns, etc.) – always read the fine print like “deprioritization after X GB” or “hotspot limited to Y GB” so you’re not surprised. But with options like Mint’s $30 unlimited or Visible’s $30 truly unlimited, it’s hard not to be impressed by how accessible mobile internet has become compared to just a decade ago.

Hotspot and Mobile Broadband: Tethering, 5G Home Internet, and More

Mobile internet isn’t just for your phone – many of us use our phone’s hotspot feature to connect laptops or tablets on the go, or even use dedicated mobile hotspot devices or 5G routers to get internet where wired connections are unavailable. Here’s how the carriers stack up in these areas:

Smartphone Hotspot/Tethering: All major postpaid plans include some allowance for using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot to share its connection. On lower-tier unlimited plans, this might be only a small amount (or even none at high-speed). For example, AT&T’s mid-tier Unlimited Extra includes 15 GB of hotspot per line, after which hotspot data slows to 128 kbps (basically unusable for anything beyond messaging) ^[130]. T-Mobile’s basic Go5G plan includes 15 GB hotspot as well. But move to the top-tier plans and you get a lot more: T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus comes with 50 GB of high-speed hotspot ^[131]. AT&T Premium has 60 GB ^[132]. Verizon’s postpaid plans recently increased hotspot allotments too; their top plan now at 60 GB (and as noted, you can add more). These caps mean you can do quite a bit of work on a laptop or stream video for hours via your phone before worrying. And if you do run over, your phone’s data still works fine – it’s just the tethered devices that get throttled. For many people, using phone hotspot is a convenient backup if home internet goes out or when traveling in hotels with spotty Wi-Fi.

MVNOs vary widely on hotspot: some like Visible Basic allow unlimited hotspot data but at a 5 Mbps speed cap (fast enough for browsing and SD video) ^[133]. Visible Plus allows full-speed hotspot (but they still recommend one device at a time). Mint Mobile gives a fixed 5 or 10 GB (depending on plan) for hotspot out of your data. Google Fi’s plans include hotspot use (Unlimited Plus has 5G tethering and a big 50 GB pool). Metro and Cricket often include some hotspot (e.g. Metro’s $60 plan has 15 GB). The key is to check – a few really cheap plans might forbid hotspot entirely or charge extra for it. But in 2025 most unlimited plans, even prepaid, realize hotspot is a must-have feature.

Standalone Hotspot Devices and Plans: If you need more data for a household or an RV or something, you might consider a dedicated hotspot (sometimes called “Jetpack” or “MiFi”). The carriers sell these devices and have special data-only plans for them. Historically, these plans were limited – like $80 for 10 GB in the 4G era – but 5G fixed wireless competition has pushed them to offer more generous data buckets. For instance, T-Mobile offers a 50 GB for $50 data-only plan (also a 100 GB for $70) for hotspot devices ^[134]. Verizon has a mix of plans, including some that go up to 150 GB or more for hotspots, and Verizon’s newest “Unlimited Ultimate” phone plan allows adding a tablet or hotspot line with sizable data. Verizon also, in mid-2023, started a plan called “myPlan Ultimate” that had 200 GB of hotspot for phone users – basically turning your phone into an almost home-router (that plan is pricey though, around $100). AT&T similarly has DataConnect plans for hotspot devices (e.g. 40 GB, 100 GB options) and often encourages people toward their Wireless Home Internet option in rural areas (which is essentially a hotspot with a special high-gain antenna for rural customers, often capping at ~100 GB).

For truly unlimited hotspot, that’s rare – one exception is Visible’s use of the phone as hotspot (unlimited at 5 Mbps). Another is some business plans or 5G home internet solutions. But mainstream consumer plans always cap the high-speed hotspot because they don’t want you replacing a home internet connection with a $60 phone plan (even though technologically one could).

5G Home Internet / Fixed Wireless: This has been one of the most disruptive developments. T-Mobile Home Internet launched widely in 2021 and by the end of 2024 amassed over 6 million customers ^[135], making T-Mobile the largest fixed wireless access provider in the country. This service uses T-Mobile’s 5G network (and LTE as backup) to deliver internet to a Wi-Fi router in your home. It’s priced around $50/month (or $30 for T-Mobile phone customers in some deals) for unlimited data – no contracts, equipment included. The typical speeds range from about 50 Mbps on the low end up to 200+ Mbps on the high end, varying by how close you are to a cell tower and how congested it is. Latency is usually ~30 ms, good enough for streaming and gaming in most cases. Verizon offers a similar Verizon 5G Home internet, focusing on areas where it has C-band or mmWave coverage. Verizon’s is also around $50 (and $25 for existing Verizon mobile customers), with speeds often 100–300 Mbps (they even have a “5G Home Plus” that promises up to 1 Gbps in rare mmWave areas). Combined, Verizon and T-Mobile had about 10–11 million fixed wireless subscribers by late 2024 ^[136], showing strong growth. AT&T has taken a different approach – it has not pushed a nationwide 5G home product, instead prioritizing fiber deployments for home internet and using wireless mainly in rural or legacy DSL areas (AT&T does market a “AT&T Wireless Internet” box for some rural folks, but it’s not unlimited – often 100 GB caps).

The appeal of these services is obvious: quick setup (just plug in a router and you’ve got Wi-Fi via 5G), and often the only alternative for people without good cable or fiber. The downside: performance can be inconsistent if the cell sector serving your home gets crowded. That’s why T-Mobile actually has to limit sign-ups – they only allow a certain number of home internet users per cell sector to avoid slowing mobile users too much. Even with 6M on board, T-Mobile reported having 1+ million people on waitlists who want the service but T-Mobile can’t accommodate until they add more capacity in those areas ^{[137] [138]}. They literally won’t sell it to you if the network in your area is near capacity, which is good for quality control. T-Mobile also introduced new Home Internet plans in late 2024: an “Home Internet Lite” where you can get a fixed amount of data (like 100 GB for $50) in areas not eligible for unlimited, and an “Home Internet Plus” with a faster gateway and maybe prioritization for $75. They’re even starting to roll out fiber home internet in some cities (they acquired a fiber company to offer wired service in the future alongside wireless) ^{[139] [140]}.

For customers, these wireless home internet options mean you could effectively use the same mobile network for all your internet needs – phone, computer, TV streaming, etc. It blurs the line between mobile and fixed internet. If you live in a covered area and don’t have fiber, T-Mobile or Verizon’s home internet can often beat DSL or be a lifesaver in places where cable is expensive or unavailable. It’s part of why the question of “best mobile internet” now extends to things like hotspots and home routers.

Public Wi-Fi and Hotspots: Though not a carrier offering per se, it’s worth noting some carriers have hotspot networks (for instance, AT&T and Spectrum have many Wi-Fi hotspots in cities that customers can use to offload data). But with robust LTE/5G plans, using cellular often is simpler and more secure than hunting for public Wi-Fi.

Satellite Integration: Looking ahead, there’s the emerging concept of satellite-to-phone service. T-Mobile in 2022 announced a partnership with SpaceX Starlink to eventually enable texting (and potentially calls/data) via satellites for T-Mobile customers in remote areas (using existing phone radio via satellite in emergency). That’s supposed to start with beta texting perhaps in 2024–2025. Apple’s iPhone emergency SOS feature is an example of this trend (available regardless of carrier on new iPhones via Globalstar). While not mainstream yet, carriers are exploring ways to fill coverage gaps via satellite – which in a few years could mean your mobile internet truly works everywhere under the sky, though likely at very slow speeds for satellite direct connections initially. AT&T is working with AST SpaceMobile which in 2023 made a test satellite phone call on AT&T’s network. So the horizon is expanding beyond terrestrial towers.

Bringing it back to present: if you need a mobile broadband solution – whether a travel hotspot for your RV or a replacement for home internet – 2025 offers more choices than ever. You can get a dedicated 5G hotspot device (like the Inseego MiFi M2000 or Netgear Nighthawk 5G) and pop in a data SIM from any carrier or even use a regular phone SIM. The plans range from a few GB to truly unlimited (the latter mostly for home use units). Cost per GB on these plans has dropped, making them viable. In fact, some RV enthusiasts pick up a T-Mobile or Verizon home internet router and use it in their camper (if the provider allows – some have location locks, but crafty users find workarounds).

One caution: carriers do sometimes restrict or deprioritize traffic differently on hotspot devices versus phones. E.g., a phone might get full speed but a tethered laptop might be flagged and slightly throttled. On most modern plans this isn’t common except after you pass a hotspot cap. Also video resolution is sometimes limited (some plans cap video to 480p ~1.5 Mbps unless you pay for HD). On premium plans you often can stream in HD/4K freely (T-Mobile Plus, Verizon Ultimate etc. allow 4K video). Lower plans might always stream at DVD quality unless you toggle an add-on.

In conclusion, the quality of hotspot and mobile broadband services today is quite high: using your phone as a hotspot can replace your coffee shop Wi-Fi run; an ultra-portable 5G hotspot can connect a whole team’s laptops on a field project; and fixed 5G routers are bringing high-speed internet to rural homes. If you rely on mobile internet for work or travel, consider your data needs: heavy users might opt for an unlimited phone plan with big hotspot data or a dedicated plan (like T-Mobile’s 100 GB for $50 ^[141] or Straight Talk’s 100 GB for $50 ^[142]). Casual users can likely make do with the hotspot included in their existing plan. The great thing is that as 5G capacity grows, carriers have been upping those hotspot limits and launching innovative plans – a trend likely to continue.

Recent News, Network Upgrades, and What’s Coming (2024–2025)

The mobile internet landscape is always evolving. In the last year or two, there have been several noteworthy developments that impact the “best mobile internet” discussion:

• Mid-Band 5G Rollouts: Verizon and AT&T’s rollout of C-band 5G (and AT&T’s additional 3.45 GHz spectrum) hit full stride in 2024. After some delays due to FAA clearance (remember the airplane altimeter interference concerns in early 2022), by mid-2023 much of that spectrum was cleared for use. Verizon reported nearly 50% of its network traffic was already riding on C-band by late 2023 ^[143], highlighting how quickly they integrated it. This injection of mid-band capacity has significantly boosted Verizon’s and AT&T’s median speeds and allowed them to hold their own in the 5G race. In fact, AT&T’s 5G speeds increased ~54% and Verizon’s ~40% in one year thanks to these upgrades ^[144]. T-Mobile, not resting, has been deploying even more 2.5 GHz 5G and started using carrier aggregation to combine multiple channels (e.g., 2.5 GHz + 600 MHz and even 1900 MHz PCS for 5G) to increase speeds. They also won additional 2.5 GHz licenses in 2022’s Auction 108 to cover a few counties they lacked. These moves mean all carriers now have a healthy chunk of mid-band: roughly 140+ MHz for Verizon (C-band + CBRS), ~120 MHz for AT&T (C-band + 3.45 GHz), and 160 MHz for T-Mobile (2.5 GHz, plus smaller chunks of others) in many markets. This mid-band is the sweet spot for 5G – it delivers hundreds of Mbps while covering a few miles radius from each tower. So the investment here directly translates into better mobile internet for consumers.
• Standalone 5G and Network Slicing: A big technical leap is the rollout of 5G Standalone (SA) networks. Initially, 5G was launched in “non-standalone” mode, meaning the 5G radio was anchored to a 4G LTE core. Now carriers are moving to pure 5G core networks. T-Mobile was the first globally to launch SA 5G in 2020 on its low-band 600 MHz. By 2023, T-Mobile expanded SA to mid-band and started trials of network slicing – a feature where the network can dedicate a slice of bandwidth optimized for specific applications (like an ultra-reliable low-latency slice for gaming). They even opened a beta program for developers to test network slicing on T-Mobile SA 5G, touting that they are at the forefront of this tech ^[145]. Verizon and AT&T have been a bit more cautious – they lit up some SA 5G in 2022/2023 but mostly for internal testing and specific use cases. By 2024, Verizon announced it had SA 5G running and demonstrated a priority network slice for emergency responders nationwide ^[146], which essentially gives things like police and fire devices a dedicated fast lane on the 5G network. AT&T in mid-2025 talked up its launch of RedCap (Reduced Capability) 5G on SA, which is targeted at IoT devices like wearables or industrial sensors, showing their focus on enterprise first ^{[147] [148]}. For consumers, the immediate effects of SA 5G are subtle – you might notice slightly lower latency and eventually new services that weren’t possible before. Over time, SA 5G is expected to enable things like better AR/VR streaming, cloud gaming with guaranteed performance, and more robust fixed wireless (with network slices ensuring home users don’t interfere with mobile users, for example). In essence, the carriers are laying the groundwork for the next generation of network features.
• Spectrum Acquisitions and Refarming: Beyond mid-band, carriers are managing other spectrum. All three turned off their 3G networks by the start of 2023 ^[149], freeing up spectrum (in 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, etc.) to reuse for 4G and 5G. T-Mobile also shut down Sprint’s old networks (3G CDMA in March 2022, even Sprint’s LTE by mid-2022) ^[150], integrating all that spectrum. Verizon and AT&T had already refarmed their 3G EVDO and UMTS spectrum mostly to LTE. T-Mobile had a 2G GSM network which was scheduled to shut down by end of 2022 ^[151]; by 2025, 2G is basically gone or only in tiny pockets for IoT. On new spectrum frontiers: Dish Network entered as a 4th facilities-based carrier, launching a new 5G network (branded Project Genesis/Boost Infinite) in 2022–23. They have spectrum in 600 MHz, 700 MHz, AWS, and acquired 3.45 GHz and some 12 GHz. While Dish’s network is nascent (they met an FCC deadline to cover 70% of Americans by 2023, but few are using it yet), it could in time become another nationwide option, especially as they start selling Boost Infinite with postpaid-like plans (currently $25 for “unlimited” introductory offer). In 2024, the FCC was preparing to auction off more spectrum, like the 3.1–3.45 GHz range, but it’s pending Congress authorization. Carriers are also eyeing the 6 GHz band for potential new unlicensed or licensed 5G use, and upper mid-bands (7-8 GHz) down the road.
• Network Shutdowns & Upgrades: We covered 3G sunsets. Another upcoming shutdown is CDMA/LTE network of Sprint – which already happened for 3G and LTE as mentioned. Some legacy things like older voice networks: Verizon’s old CDMA 2G voice, AT&T’s 2G (shut in 2017) are history. T-Mobile maintained GSM 2G a bit longer but that too is likely off now. The focus is now on phasing out older LTE equipment and repurposing every slice of spectrum for the new 5G world. For example, AT&T has been transitioning some of its 850 MHz from LTE to 5G (they call it 5G “Plus” now when it’s actually just low-band). Verizon turned some of its PCS and AWS bands to 5G via DSS. So the networks are very much in a transition period where 4G and 5G coexist, but 5G is steadily taking over more airwaves. Importantly, 4G LTE is not going away any time soon – all carriers will keep LTE live throughout this decade for fallback and because many devices (think many IoT, older phones, etc.) still rely on it. The user experience, though, will gradually just become “5G” as the default connection as new phones prefer 5G when available.
• Subscriber Trends and Competition: 2024 saw T-Mobile surpassing AT&T to become the #2 carrier in total customers (postpaid phone subscribers), and closing in on Verizon’s number. T-Mobile added a net 3+ million postpaid phone customers in the first three quarters of 2024, while Verizon was essentially flat (only ~80k added) ^[152]. AT&T was somewhere in between. This momentum for T-Mobile underscores that its network improvements and aggressive plan pricing (like the free line promotions, etc.) are resonating with consumers. Verizon responded by doubling down on its reliability message and enterprise focus (it still leads in lucrative business and government accounts). AT&T kept investing in both wireless and expanding fiber broadband (leveraging bundle deals: e.g. you can get a discount if you have both AT&T Fiber and Wireless). So the competitive landscape is dynamic. For consumers, it means more promotions – e.g., carrier switching deals, phone trade-in offers up to $1000 off, and even innovative perks like T-Mobile’s “Coverage Beyond” which started offering subscribers free in-flight Wi-Fi and some high-speed data abroad (now 5GB free in many countries on Go5G Plus). Verizon and AT&T have their own perks (Verizon has long included Disney+ bundle, though now as an add-on; AT&T gives free security apps and international day pass perks on top plans). The fight for subscribers benefits the user: in 2024, plan prices remained steady for those who switched to new plans, though notably Verizon and AT&T nudged some older plan users to move to newer plans by adding fees or ending discounts. T-Mobile made a commitment not to raise rates on existing plans (“Price Lock”), although even they ended a few old plans in favor of the newer Go5G tiers.
• Expert and Consumer Commentary: The question of “Who has the best network?” continues to yield mixed answers. For example, in January 2024, Opensignal’s report gave T-Mobile awards in 9 categories (download speed, upload, 5G availability, etc.) and Verizon in 5 categories (notably in 5G voice app experience and some coverage aspects) ^[153]. Meanwhile, RootMetrics H1 2025 as we saw gave AT&T the overall title ^[154]. Verizon’s executives often cite RootMetrics when it favors them (for reliability), T-Mobile cites Ookla or Opensignal when those favor them, and AT&T quietly just improved without much boasting until that RootMetrics win gave them some bragging rights. It led to some social media spat – T-Mobile and Verizon executives trading claims in June 2024 about who’s really the best ^[155]. The truth is, all these reports measure slightly different things: some focus on user-initiated speedtests (Ookla), some on controlled drive tests (RootMetrics), some on crowdsourced experience (Opensignal). As one Reddit commenter wryly noted, “there is no simple benchmark that captures all this – best carrier depends on where you live, work, and your preferences… there’s no one-size-fits-all” ^[156]. That sentiment is echoed by experts; the consensus is that the differences are much smaller than they used to be, and the choice should come down to which carrier has coverage in the places you frequent and the pricing/perks that suit you.

Looking ahead, 2025 and beyond will bring even more interesting developments: the launch of 5G Advanced (3GPP Release 18) features, possibly the first hints of 6G on the horizon (though 6G standards won’t be finalized until 2028 or so, carriers are already in R&D). In the nearer term, we’ll see uplink 5G improvements (to raise upload speeds), wider 5G carrier aggregation (phones combining 3 or 4 bands for multi-gigabit speeds), and expansion of edge computing that could enable new apps. Carriers might also re-farm some LTE spectrum entirely to 5G SA, which could slightly degrade old 4G-only devices’ experience but boost 5G users. By late 2025, we may see satellite messaging integrated into normal plans (T-Mobile/SpaceX beta might be live, and even Verizon teamed with Amazon’s Kuiper for future satellite connectivity).

For the average consumer in 2025, all this means their mobile internet is only getting faster, more ubiquitous, and more capable. The best mobile internet provider for one person could be any of the big three – each has a legitimate claim depending on the metric. AT&T offers an excellent combination of reliability and speed (and now bragging rights from RootMetrics) ^[157]. Verizon offers peace of mind with its extensive coverage, enterprise-grade reliability and strong 5G improvements (plus that long-held cachet of the “most reliable network”) ^[158]. T-Mobile, the disruptor, offers unbeatable 5G coverage and performance leadership (and often slightly lower prices or more perks included) ^[159]. And if cost is king for you, the MVNOs riding on these networks ensure you can get a piece of each network’s strengths at a lower price point – which is a win-win for consumers.

As one industry writer aptly put it: the debate over the best network will continue, but “the takeaway here is that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are all fiercely competitive and provide a comparable level of service”, so you should choose based on your own needs and local coverage rather than national claims ^[160]. The good news is that in 2025, you almost can’t go wrong – America’s mobile internet is the best it’s ever been, and it’s poised to get even better. Happy browsing and streaming!

Sources: Primary data and insights have been drawn from recent network analyses by RootMetrics, Ookla/Speedtest, Opensignal, and industry news outlets. For detailed results and commentary, see RCR Wireless ^{[161] [162]}, Speedtest Intelligence reports ^{[163] [164]}, PhoneArena network comparisons ^{[165] [166]}, and official carrier announcements on coverage and performance ^{[167] [168]}. These sources provide a comprehensive view of carriers’ 4G/5G coverage maps, speed metrics, pricing, and the latest technological developments shaping the US mobile internet as of 2024–2025.

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