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iPhone Text Effects: Tips and Tricks
March 18, 2025
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Wisconsin is home to geographical features that date back three billion years. The major cell networks haven’t been in the state for that long, but they are nonetheless fairly well established.
Verizon offers the most 4G coverage in Wisconsin, covering 65% of the state. UScellular, meanwhile, delivers the most 5G coverage, slightly outdoing runner-up T-Mobile in terms of total area covered.
There’s much more nuance to the coverage picture in Wisconsin, however, than these figures suggest. Read on to find which carrier offers the best coverage in the places you live, work, and play within the state.
Table of contents
What We Like
- All three major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile)—and offer excellent overall coverage in Wisconsin
- Verizon offers the most 4G LTE coverage (65%) in Wisconsin, closely followed by AT&T (64%)
- UScellular offers the most 5G coverage across Wisconsin (35%)
What We Don't Like
- Much of Wisconsin is rural, and that can present challenges to getting reliable coverage in the state. This includes the Northernmost portion of of the state, as well as the Driftless Region, and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
- UScellular’s 4G network only offers 36% coverage in the state, a far cry from its major carrier competitors
Verizon offers excellent and wide-ranging 4G coverage in Wisconsin, while its 5G coverage is decidedly more limited.
Verizon 4G Coverage in Wisconsin
Verizon wields the broadest 4G LTE coverage network in Wisconsin, covering 65% of the state’s 65,498.37 square miles. This makes Verizon a good and safe bet if you’re looking for reliable coverage in the state.
Verizon 5G Coverage in Wisconsin
Verizon’s 5G network is significantly smaller and less established in Wisconsin than those of its competitors. Indeed, Verizon’s 5G coverage spreads across just 9% of the state.
Having said that, Verizon is aggressively expanding its 5G network in the state, so that percentage should be changing in the coming weeks and months. It’s also worth noting that a significant portion of Verizon’s 5G buildout includes Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network, which delivers super-fast speeds and low latency times.
AT&T is one of the nation’s coverage leaders, and its presence in Wisconsin is well established. AT&T’s 4G network is second only to Verizon in the state, while its 5G network is small but growing.
AT&T 4G Coverage in Wisconsin
AT&T offers the second-most 4G coverage in Wisconsin, with its network spreading to an impressive 64% of the state. Rest assured that you’re likely to have an AT&T 4G signal most places you go in Wisconsin.
AT&T 5G Coverage in Wisconsin
AT&T covers 25% of Wisconsin with its 5G network. Most of this 5G coverage is oriented around Wisconsin’s more populated towns and cities, and spreading slowly to the state’s more rural areas.
Thankfully, some of AT&T’s 5G coverage is made up of its enhanced 5G+ spectrum, which delivers even faster speeds, lower latency times, and better reliability. Take a look at the map above to ensure AT&T’s 5G network covers the places you spend time in Wisconsin.
While T-Mobile doesn’t win the coverage statistics battle in Wisconsin, rest assured that the carrier T-Mobile offers decent 4G and 5G coverage in the state.
T-Mobile 4G Coverage in Wisconsin
T-Mobile’s 4G network covers 45% of Wisconsin, trailing both Verizon (65%) and AT&T (64%). However, T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network is present in most of the state’s busy cities, towns and regions. If you live in one of these places, you should have no problem connecting to T-Mobile.
T-Mobile 5G Coverage in Wisconsin
T-Mobile offers great 5G coverage in Wisconsin, as its network covers 64% of the state, second only to AT&T in terms of its overall reach in the state. Much of this 5G coverage includes the carrier’s 5G Ultra Capacity spectrum, which offers super-fast speeds and superior reliability.
UScellular maintains a big presence in the Midwest—including Wisconsin. By the numbers, the little big carrier offers the fourth-most 4G coverage (37%) and the most 5G coverage (35%) in the state. The latter of these statistics shows that UScellular is a good carrier to go with if you're seeking the fastest speeds in Wisconsin.
Your choice of carriers aren’t limited to the majors in Wisconsin. A variety of smaller carriers, or MVNOs, also operate in the state, allowing you to sign up for equivalent plans—with similar coverage—for less than you’d otherwise pay.
All of these carriers lease from the aforementioned major carrier networks to provide coverage to their customers. If you’re signed up with Spectrum Mobile, for example, you’ll have access to Verizon coverage, since the carrier runs on that network. Here some popular MVNOs, and the networks they operate on:
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 offers the best cell phone coverage in Wisconsin?
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Verizon offers the most 4G coverage in Wisconsin, while UScellular delivers the most 5G coverage in the state.
How can I check which network is best in my area of Wisconsin?
To determine the best cell phone service in your area, we recommend taking a look at our 4G and 5G coverage maps and zooming in to inspect your local area.
Does T-Mobile have good coverage in Wisconsin?
T-Mobile offers the third-most 4G coverage, and the second-most 5G coverage, in the state of Wisconsin. That is to say, T-Mobile’s coverage is generally reliable and fast throughout Wisconsin.
Learn More Network Coverage Maps
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