Baltimore is a city in Maryland with over 500,000 residents. It has a vibrant culture, countless amazing restaurants, excellent universities, and a lot to do nearby. It is within a few hour's drive of many other big cities, like Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC. Due to this, there is exceptional coverage in the area. All three of the major wireless networks have great 5G coverage in that area, leaving the final question of which network provides the most consistent lightning-fast data and the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD.
Our research found that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon are the top three for best phone coverage in Baltimore, MD overall. This article features detailed information on the following:
Baltimore is covered almost equally by all three major networks, but T-Mobile is the overall winner. T-Mobile’s strong 5G network minimizes congestion within the city and keeps everyone’s data at max speeds better than the competition. That’s not to say that Verizon and AT&T don’t also provide some of the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD. Far from it! All three major carriers are excellent options for coverage in the city. The east coast of the USA has some of the best coverage in the country, so it’s no surprise that Maryland also has excellent coverage from the major networks.
Let’s jump into the weeds of the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD, and help you decide which cell phone carrier is right for you!
The top three carriers in Baltimore, MD, are T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.
T-Mobile is your best bet for cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD. This article focuses on the three major wireless carriers, all of whom own their networks. These companies are in charge of maintenance and upgrades. Because of this, cell phone plans at major wireless networks give unlimited high-speed data and faster average data speeds for more money each month.
This article, however, focuses on Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). These companies rent their bandwidth from the big three networks to give their customers cheaper access to data. The two major downsides to MVNOs are that their plans offer limited high-speed data and lower data priority, meaning your data gets slowed down whenever bandwidth is strained. Data priority is most important in cities or areas where a lot of people are gathered. You can save big with MVNO plans, and that’s what we will discuss in this article.
T-Mobile has the top spot in the city. With its amazing 5G network and reliable coverage in and around the city, T-Mobile provides the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD. T-Mobile is in the process of constructing more and more 5G towers throughout the country, but they got a headstart over the other two carriers, and their network still provides much more coverage than the competition. T-Mobile hopes to expand its coverage to over 90% within the next few years, positively blanketing the city with its high-speed 5G coverage.
Price: Varies
Plan: T-Mobile offers three unlimited plans at various price points. Like Verizon, these plans are very expensive as the single-line plan and offer immense multi-line savings.
One thing that’s common among the major wireless carriers is immense multi-line savings. We recommend reaching out to friends and family before making the switch, as a handful of like-minded individuals will save everyone big on their cell phone plans. Unlike the other two major wireless carriers, T-Mobile gives users 50 GB of premium wireless data on their cheapest plan, which means you are guaranteed their fastest possible speeds nationwide.
While there are areas on the east coast where Verizon or AT&T have the best cell phone coverage, T-Mobile is your best bet in Baltimore. If you commute primarily in Baltimore and around the Baltimore area, your T-Mobile coverage will not disappoint you. There are some dead spots in buildings, as T-Mobile’s network has trouble getting through all the concrete and steel, but within buildings, you should also be covered by WiFi. Next time you visit the National Aquarium (which, as a Baltimore resident, you should do at least once a year!) T-Mobile and the Aquarium’s WiFi network will keep you covered all day long.
AT&T is right up there with T-Mobile for the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD.
T-Mobile’s 5G network is better overall, but AT&T has excellent cell phone plans and excellent network strength all up and down the east coast. When you walk through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and stop at Cafe Express, you can snap a picture of your latte and upload it to Instagram without worrying about your data speeds.
Price: Varies
Plan: AT&T offers three unlimited plans at various price points. Their price is comparable to the plans at Verizon.
AT&T offers three unlimited plans.
Like Verizon, AT&T’s unlimited plans start at a high price point and become much more affordable with the addition of new lines. With three cell phone plans, AT&T has a basic plan with new bells and whistles, a medium plan, and a premium plan with many extras.
AT&T’s premium plan also comes with UHD streaming. It does mean, however, that the other two plans available at AT&T only allow SD streaming when on mobile data. Outside of SD streaming on their normal cell phone plan, there are not many reports of congestion in the city (with the exception of events like a sports game or big concerts), so you should not run into many data slowdowns on their basic plan. If you travel into other cities, however, you should check out their local coverage maps and see if there are any reports of congestion in the area.
Though Verizon ranks third in the race for the best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD, they are by no means a bad choice. Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G network is astonishingly strong and provides great overall coverage throughout the city. Let’s jump into the details of their service.
Price: Varies
Plan: Verizon offers a pair of unlimited plans. One has unlimited high-speed data, and the other has unlimited premium high-speed data.
Verizon offers two unlimited plans.
These plans bring a lot to the table. Both have unlimited high-speed data, and the unlimited plus brings a number of additional incentives to the table, including:
The extra cost of their unlimited plus plan is worthwhile if you want unlimited premium high-speed data. If you live in an area of Baltimore where there is a constant set of people moving around on their cell phones, you may experience congestion. Neighborhoods like the Inner Harbour, Fells Point, and Federal Hill are prone to more congestion throughout the day. We recommend starting with Verizon’s less expensive plan and switching to unlimited plus if you notice data slowdowns throughout the day.
Verizon users only receive data slowdowns if Verizon MVNO customers are already slowed down, but there is still congestion on the network. If that’s the case, basic users get slowed, and premium users continue to enjoy the fastest possible data speeds. There is a point, however, where no amount of data slowdowns can prevent congestion, making the distinction between basic and premium data much less important.
Verizon offers a wide variety of add-ons, which are nice bonuses to their service. The best part — they are optional. Each add-on is $10 a month and saves you some money on the service, but if none of them seem like things you need, then you can skip it entirely and stick with the base plan.
We highlighted the three major wireless networks as the top three best cell phone coverage providers in Baltimore, MD, but if none of the plans caught your eye, we recommend taking a look at MVNOs. Each major network has a variety of MVNOs, and our favorites are Cricket Wireless, Visible Wireless, and Mint Mobile.
Both Cricket and Visible Wireless offer unlimited high-speed data on some of their cell phone plans which is very unusual for MVNOs. This lets high-data users enjoy MVNO savings without worrying about their data consumption.
Mint Mobile, on the other hand, does not offer any unlimited high-speed data plans but offers four excellent and affordable cell phone plans on T-Mobile’s network. Ranging from 5 GB to 35 GB each month, Mint Mobile is a great choice for those who don’t always use a ton of data. Take advantage of WiFi networks when you can and save big with Mint Mobile’s service!
We recommend looking at local message boards and coverage maps to determine the best cell carrier in your area. While T-Mobile’s network is the best in Baltimore, there are many locations where its network is weaker than the competition.
Yes! Verizon’s 5G network is very good in and around Baltimore.
It all depends on where you are in the United States. The best cell phone coverage in Baltimore, MD, is T-Mobile, but each major carrier has places where it provides the best cell phone coverage.
The number one cell phone network is the network that best provides what you need from your cell carrier. Think about what you need from your cell phone plan to determine which carrier is best for you.
Use really.com to compare!
Baltimore is an amazing place to be. If you are planning a move, get excited! There is a lot to explore within Baltimore, regardless if you are about to move or have been a resident for years. If you want more info about plans available in Baltimore, MD, you can compare carriers at Really.com to decide which phone carrier is best for you.
Yep, we offer premium wireless service on the the nation’s largest and fastest 5G network. If you are in our dewi coverage areas, 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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