Cell Phone Coverage In San Francisco
All three major networks are expected to offer good cell coverage in San Francisco. Check coverage at your location with the map below.
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San Francisco Coverage Maps
Coverage maps draw on data from the FCC's Broadband Data Collection and Coverage Critic's crowdsourcing.
Coverage maps draw on data from the FCC's Broadband Data Collection and Coverage Critic's crowdsourcing.
- Visible Runs Over Verizon's Network
- Unlimited Plan Is Only $25/Month
- Unlimited calls, texts, and data
- Excellent coverage expected in San Francisco
- Service over Verizon’s network
4G LTE & 5G Coverage In San Francisco
The table below shows the proportion of San Francisco with coverage from different cellular technologies.| Network | 4G Coverage | 5G Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 100% | 100% |
| T-Mobile | 99% | 98% |
| Verizon | 100% | 99% |
| Dish | 0% | 72% |
US Cellular And Dish Roaming Coverage
US Cellular does not have native coverage in San Francisco. However, some US Cellular subscribers may still have coverage in San Francisco thanks to roaming agreements.
The 72% figure for Dish may understate what subscribers in San Francisco experience after accounting for roaming agreements.
Millimeter Wave 5G
Parts of San Francisco have millimeter wave 5G coverage. This novel celluar technology offers extremely fast speeds, but the coverage potential is limited. Millimeter waves aren't well-suited for traveling long distances.
| Network | Millimeter Wave |
|---|---|
| Verizon | ✓ |
| AT&T | ✓ |
| T-Mobile | ? |
Millimeter wave coverage in San Francisco is likely sparse (mostly limited to dense, outdoor areas like popular parks or sports stadiums).
San Francisco Cell Signal Strength
There are 1,113 map hexes within the census-defined boundaries of San Francisco. The table below shows the proportion of hexes at various levels of signal strength. Where both 4G and 5G coverage is available, data is drawn from whichever technology offers a stronger signal.
| Network | Strong | Decent | Weak | None |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 29% | 65% | 6% | 0% |
| T-Mobile | 49% | 48% | 3% | 1% |
| Verizon | 55% | 44% | 0% | 0% |
| Dish | 3% | 64% | 5% | 28% |
For most purposes, decent signals are perfectly sufficient. Weak or non-existent signals cause far greater degradation in user experience.
Crowdsourced Coverage Data In San Francisco
Coverage Critic has 129,418 crowdsourced data points from 963 map hexes within the boundaries of San Francisco. Data is available for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
| Network | Unique Hexes | Total Observations |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 857 | 75,603 |
| T-Mobile | 788 | 28,797 |
| Verizon | 732 | 24,674 |
Click here to toggle to the map's crowdsourced data layer.
California State-Wide Coverage Scores
| Network | Coverage Score |
|---|---|
| Verizon | 8.8 / 10 |
| AT&T | 8.6 / 10 |
| T-Mobile | 8.2 / 10 |
Data Confidence
The coverage information for San Francisco is rated as medium-high confidence. Documentation is available elsewhere covering limitations of Coverage Critic's approach.
Last updated: February 27, 2024