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iPhone Text Effects: Tips and Tricks
March 18, 2025
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Washington is known as the Evergreen State because of its beautiful forests that run from the northeast corner all the way to the Pacific coast. The state’s cell phone coverage isn’t quite as expansive, but it does cover most residents, with solid service from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. AT&T operates the largest 4G network in the state, covering 57% of the map. T-Mobile, meanwhile, is the largest 5G provider, with a coverage map that spans 40% of the state.
Whether you live in one of the state’s metro areas, like Seattle or Spokane, or out in one of the state’s many rural areas, this guide will help you find the best coverage near you.
Table of contents
What We Like
- The state’s densely populated areas (including Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and more) have reliable coverage from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon
- AT&T has the most 4G LTE in the state, covering 57% of the map
- T-Mobile offers the most 5G coverage, with high-speed service that reaches 40% 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 mostly limited to urban areas and is weakest in the state’s northwestern quadrant
Verizon offers plenty of service in the Evergreen State, though very little of it is high-speed. 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 Washington
Verizon has the second-largest 4G network in the state, with a total network coverage area of 56%. At first glance, it looks remarkably similar to AT&T’s 4G network, albeit slightly smaller. But zooming in shows that Verizon has stronger coverage than AT&T in some areas, including the coastal towns of La Push and Ocean City, as well as Pullman and some other towns near the southern Idaho border.
Verizon 5G Coverage in Washington
Verizon operates the smallest 5G network of the Big Three wireless carriers, with towers that cover just 6% of the state. The good news is that most of that service includes 5G Ultra-Wideband, which offers extra fast speeds and minimal lag.
While Verizon 5G is available in most of the state’s metropolitan areas, it’s nonexistent throughout much of the state’s less populated areas. Thankfully, there are some exceptions, with good service in Wenatchee, Moses Lake, and several of the towns hugging the Oregon border near Portland.
AT&T is the best overall cell phone carrier in Washington, operating the largest 4G network and the second-largest 5G network. 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 Washington
AT&T has the largest 4G network in the state, with a total network coverage area of 57%. Coverage is strongest in the state’s major metro areas, including Spokane, Richland, and Yakima, with a particularly solid coverage band running from Olympia, through Seattle, and up to Marysville. While the AT&T 4G coverage map does have some weak areas, including some outright dead zones, most of those are confined to more remote areas, including many of the National Parks and National Forests.
AT&T 5G Coverage in Washington
AT&T operates the second-largest 5G network in Washington, with a map that covers 34% of the state. Nearly half of that network includes 5G+, AT&T’s super-fast service that promises minimal latency.
The strongest AT&T 5G service is found in the state’s major cities and their surrounding suburbs, though solid signals are also in places like Colville, Chewelah, Omak, and Sunnyside.
Unfortunately, the network also has some dead zones in the state’s more remote regions, including the area between Aberdeen and Forks and the region north and east of Walla Walla.
T-Mobile offers significantly less wireless coverage than AT&T or Verizon, though it offers the most amount of high-speed coverage in the state. 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 Washington
T-Mobile’s 4G network is considerably smaller than AT&T’s or Verizon’s, covering 49% of the state map. Like its competitors, the strongest service can be found in Washington’s major metro areas. T-Mobile’s 4G service gets weaker further away from those areas and it’s nonexistent in and around the state’s many National Parks and National Forests. In addition, there are some significant dead zones in the eastern half of the state, with pockets near Starbuck and Lamona that lack service.
T-Mobile 5G Coverage in Washington
T-Mobile operates the largest 5G network in Washington, with a total coverage area of over 40%. More than half of that network includes T-Mobile’s 5G Ultra Capacity spectrum, which offers lightning-fast speeds and limited latency.
The strongest T-Mobile 5G is available in Washington’s big cities and their surrounding areas, though the size of the network means there are other areas in the state where customers can catch a strong signal, including Anacortes, Kittitas, Moses Lake, Port Angeles, Ritzville, Tonasket, and more.
UScellular maintains a small but fast system of cellular networks in Washington State. By the numbers, the little big carrier offers the fourth-most 4G coverage, and the third-most 5G coverage, in the state.
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
Which carrier has the best coverage in WA?
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AT&T has the best coverage in WA, with a 4G network that covers 57% of the state and a 5G network that covers 34%.
Is AT&T good in Washington?
Yes, AT&T is good in Washington–its 4G network covers 57% of the state, while its 5G covers 34%.
How do I find which network is best in my area?
You can find which network is best 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.
Learn More Network Coverage Maps
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