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iPhone Text Effects: Tips and Tricks
March 18, 2025
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Tennessee is known for its music, its BBQ, and its bourbon. It’s not exactly renowned for its cell phone coverage, but maybe it should be: the Volunteer State boasts solid coverage from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. AT&T operates the largest 4G LTE network in the state, covering nearly 82% of the map. T-Mobile, meanwhile, has the biggest 5G network, with towers that provide high-speed service to approximately 44% of the state.
Whether you’re in a metropolitan hub like Nashville or in one of the state’s majestic rural areas, this guide will help you find the best coverage in your neighborhood.
Table of contents
What We Like
- The state’s densely populated areas (including Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and more) have reliable coverage from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
- AT&T has the most 4G LTE in the state, covering nearly 82% of the map
- T-Mobile offers the most 5G coverage, with high-speed service that reaches 45% of the state
What We Don't Like
- 4G LTE coverage can be found throughout much of the state, but signals will be weaker away from metropolitan hubs
- 5G coverage is limited to urban areas and is spottier in rural areas, especially in the state’s western half
Verizon operates the second-largest 4G network in Tennessee, though its 5G network lags behind T-Mobile and AT&T. Want to see what kind of coverage Verizon offers in your neck of the woods? Check out our interactive map below.
Verizon 4G Coverage in Tennessee
Verizon’s 4G network is only slightly smaller than AT&T’s, with a total network footprint that covers just under 81% of the state. That means most Volunteers will have solid coverage, though residents in more rural areas of the state, especially south of Clarksville and west of Franklin, will have weaker signals and slower service.
Verizon 5G Coverage in Tennessee
Verizon’s 5G network covers nearly 13% of the map. About ⅔ of that includes Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband, which offers extra fast service and minimal lag. Like AT&T, Verizon 5G is strong in metro areas, including their sprawling suburbs like Franklin, Collierville, Columbia. West Tennessee is home to large Verizon dead zones, though, with zero coverage in the rural stretches between Jackson and Columbia.
AT&T has some of the best cell phone coverage in Tennessee, operating the largest 4G network and the second-largest 5G network in the state. Interested in seeing what kind of service AT&T offers in your neighborhood? Enter your address in the interactive coverage map below.
AT&T 4G Coverage in Tennessee
AT&T offers the most 4G in Tennessee, with a network that covers 81% of the state map. That means AT&T customers have coverage in every corner of the Volunteer State, though the strength of that signal depends on where you are. AT&T has reliable coverage in all of the state’s metro areas–including Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and more–though the center of the state, especially the areas between Franklin and Jackson, have weaker service and could lead to dropped calls.
AT&T 5G Coverage in Tennessee
AT&T’s 5G network covers over 44% of the state and half of that network includes access to 5G+, which offers high-speed service and minimal latency. Like its 4G network, AT&T 5G is strongest in urban areas, with especially solid coverage in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Jackson.
The AT&T 5G network does have substantial dead zones, with no service available in wide swaths across the rural parts of East Tennessee, including towns like Newport and Tusculum.
T-Mobile trails AT&T and Verizon in total network coverage, though they also provide the most 5G coverage in Tennessee. If you want to see if you live within the T-Mobile coverage map, enter your address in the map below.
T-Mobile 4G Coverage in Tennessee
T-Mobile’s 4G network covers a little over 53% of the state. That’s significantly smaller than AT&T or Verizon, though T-Mobile’s service is just as strong as those carriers’ in the state’s urban areas. It’s in more rural areas, especially those northeast of Nashville, where service is weaker and, in some cases, nonexistent.
T-Mobile 5G Coverage in Tennessee
T-Mobile has the best 5G coverage in Tennessee, with a network map that covers over 44% of the state. Over half of that network includes T-Mobile’s 5G Ultra Capacity spectrum, which offers lightning-fast speeds and limited latency.
T-Mobile’s 5G is strongest in the state’s metro areas, though it also has strong service in the state’s smaller cities, including Maryville, Sweetwater, Athens, Lewisburg, Lawrenceburg, Union City, Dyersburg, and more.
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile may be the largest cell phone carriers in the country, but they’re not the only ones. There are plenty of smaller carriers, called MVNOs, that operate on the Big Three networks and provide discounted coverage to their customers.
If you don’t need all the luxuries of an unlimited data plan, then an MVNO (like Mint Mobile or Boost Mobile) might be the best way for you to score access to the AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile network for cheap. You can check out some of the most popular MVNOs below:
Boost Mobile
Metro by T-Mobile
Networks they use
Metro by T-Mobile
Networks they use
Optimum Mobile
Spectrum Mobile
Cox Mobile
Straight Talk
Networks they use
Cricket
Networks they use
Visible
Networks they use
Google Fi
Networks they use
Xfinity Mobile
Mint Mobile
Things to Know about Cell Phone Coverage
Cell Phone Coverage Speeds
When it comes to cell phone coverage, you don’t just need a cellular signal—you need that signal to provide adequate speed. That’s why it’s important to distinguish between 4G and 5G coverage in your area. In general, 5G provides faster speeds and greater reliability than 4G. However, that’s not always the case, as there may be instances when the speeds of these respective coverage types are actually quite similar.
How to Get the Best Cell Phone Coverage
There’s more to getting the best coverage than just signing up with the carrier that offers reliable service in the places you spend time. These include:
- Your phone: The newer and more cutting edge your device, the more likely you’ll be able to tap into the fastest speeds. Some older phones don’t have the built-in technology to connect to the fastest 5G bands, resulting in slower service. The newest 5G devices, like the Apple iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S24 series don’t have this problem.
- Your software: It’s important to make sure your software is up to date, as an out-of-date operating system can translate to an inability to connect to the fastest network speeds.
- Your cell phone plan: Depending on the mobile plan you have, your data may experience deprioritization during times of network congestion. If this is consistently happening to you, it may be worth investigating whether you can sign up for a plan that includes more premium (i.e. un-deprioritized) data.
- Your location: Certain types of coverage, like high-band 5G, has difficulty penetrating solid materials, like concrete walls. As simple as it may sound, moving to an unobstructed location may help you connect to these fast networks more reliably.
Our methodology
We sourced our cell phone coverage metrics from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which collects data voluntarily submitted by the four major national carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, UScellular). Read More
The FCC incorporates standardized propagation model assumptions into its data, and notes that a user’s actual experience may vary based on end-use factors like network congestion and terrain. Read Less
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cell phone carrier in Tennessee?
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AT&T is the best cell phone carrier in Tennessee, with a total network coverage area that spans 81% of the state. The carrier’s 5G service covers over 33% of the state.
How do I find the best network coverage in my area?
You can find the best network coverage in your area by entering your address in our 4G and 5G coverage maps, which will show you the carriers offering service in your neighborhood, along with the strength of those carriers’ signals.
Is 5G available in Tennessee?
Yes, 5G is available in Tennessee, though the high-speed service is mostly limited to the state’s more densely populated regions. T-Mobile operates the largest 5G network in the state, covering a little under 46% of the map.
Learn More Network Coverage Maps
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