Best Cell Phone Plans & Coverage In South Bay
Scores assess cell coverage in South Bay on a 0 to 10 scale.
Verizon is expected to have the best cell phone coverage in South Bay, FL and the surrounding area.
Visible's Coverage Score In South Bay:
- Unlimited calls, texts, and data
- Excellent coverage expected in South Bay
- Service over Verizon’s network (coverage map)
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Coverage Maps By Carrier
Coverage maps draw on data from the FCC's Broadband Data Collection program.
- Visible Runs Over Verizon's Network
- #1 Low-Cost Option In South Bay
- Unlimited Plan Only $25/Month
Visible In Detail
Plans
Visible runs over Verizon's network while offering plans that are often cheaper than those offered directly by Verizon.
Visible offers just two plans:
- Standard Plan - $30 Per Month
- Visible+ - $45 Per Month
Both plans include unlimited minutes, texts, and data. The Visible+ plan adds premium features, like high-priority data for better speeds when the network is congested.
Pricing at Visible is unusually straightforward. Taxes and fees are included.
Promo
Through May 31st, Visible is running a promo that brings the price of service down to $25 on the Standard Plan and $35 on the Visible+ plan. (This promo has been extended a few times. I won't be shocked if it gets extended further past May 31st.)
Those who take advantage of the promo get the reduced rate indefinitely—not just for a month. (While the discount is ongoing, it's unclear whether subscribers will be permanently grandfathered into the reduced rates.)
Smartwatch Plans
Visible offers Apple Watch data plans as a $5 per month add on. Standalone Apple Watch plans are not offered.
On Visible's standard plan, subscribers have low-priority data. The Visible+ plan includes 50GB of high-priority data each month.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Visible is one of the least gimmicky cell phone services. The structure of Visible's plans is simple. Pricing is straightforward. Taxes and fees are included.
A few limitations to be aware of:
- Mobile hotspot use is allowed and unlimited, but Visible may cap hotspot speeds to 5Mbps
- Only 1 device at a time can connect to a mobile hotspot
Visible's customer support is pretty lousy. Customer support isn't great throughout the cell phone industry, but Visible's support is worse than average.
Support is only available online (i.e., usually over chat—no phone or in-person support is available). Recently, there have been problems with slow response times. On a positive note, Visible's chat-based support is available 24/7, and the company appears to be addressing the issue with wait times.
Both Visible's standard plan and the Visible+ plan include unlimited calling and texting from the US to Canada and Mexico. A few extra international features are available with the Visible+ plan:
- Roaming in Canada and Mexico
- Calling from the US to a few dozen countries
- Texting from the US to 200+ countries
Included countries are listed here. For those traveling internationally that don't need access to their US number and have a phone with an eSIM, I recommend data-only plans from Airalo.
US Mobile's Coverage Score In South Bay:
- Variety of well-priced plans
- Excellent coverage expected in South Bay
- Warp service uses Verizon’s network
US Mobile In Detail
Networks
US Mobile subscribers can choose between the "Warp" network and "GSM" network. Warp runs over Verizon. GSM runs over T-Mobile. Most subscribers end up on the Warp network. US Mobile's plans are typically offered on both networks.
Plans
US Mobile offers a ton of plans, and it gets confusing to compare prices and features across all of them. You can explore every option on US Mobile's website.
I highlight a handful of good-value options below. Taxes plus US Mobile's unusually high fees may add $5+ per month to rates listed.
Fixed-Data Allotment Plans
- 2GB - $12 per month
- 5GB - $15 per month
- 15GB - $20 per month
- 25GB - $25 per month
Unlimited minutes and texts are included with the plans above.
Unlimited Plans
- Basic - $35/mo for 1 line
- Premium - $45/mo for 1 line
Unlimited plans fall in price as additional lines are added. Prices bottom out at 4 lines. The Basic plan is available for as low as $20 per month, and the Premium plan is available for as low as $30.
Phones that aren't 5G-compatible receive low-priority data. High-priority data might be offered for subscribers using 5G phones on the Warp (Verizon-based) service.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Gimmicks
While US Mobile offers good value, the carrier is awfully gimmicky.
- Added fees are common (often around $5/month per line).
- Fees are not adequately disclosed ahead of time.
- US Mobile's marketing frequently exaggerates how fast and high-tech the underlying network is.
- Numerous plans are available. It's difficult to compare features and prices across all of them.
- Perks, like free Spotify or Netflix, are clunky. US Mobile isn't actually partnered with these third parties. Customers must prove they subscribe to a service, then US Mobile provides a monthly bill credit. On the positive side, this allows US Mobile to offer a wider range of perks than other cell phone services.
Catches & Limits
- Mobile hotspot use is disabled or capped on some plans.
In my limited experience, US Mobile's support has been quite good. I can't recall dealing with long wait times.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with US Mobile.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
Verizon In Detail
Verizon centers its postpaid offerings around 2 unlimited plans: Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus. Both include unlimited minutes, texts, and data. The Unlimited Plus Plan adds additional features.
Both plans fall in price as more lines are added to an account. Customers on family plans can mix and match lines between Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus.
Price Per Line
The prices per line listed below include a discount for paper-free billing and Auto Pay. Taxes and fees are not included.
| Lines | Unlimited Welcome | Unlimited Plus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65 | $80 |
| 2 | $55 | $70 |
| 3 | $40 | $55 |
| 4 | $30 | $45 |
| 5+ | $27 | $42 |
Plan Features
On another page, I discuss Unlimited Plus Vs Unlimited Welcome in more depth. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Unlimited Plus- High-priority data (useful when the network is congested)
- 30GB full-speed mobile hotspot data
- Full-access to 5G Ultra Wideband
- 50% off certain connected device data plans
- Access to far better device promos and discounts
- Larger credit for bringing your own device
- No high-priority data
- No full-speed mobile hotspot access
- 5G Ultra Wideband service capped at 25Mbps
Add-On Perks
On the Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Welcome plan, subscribers can add perks for an additional fee. Most perks are priced at $10 per month.
Perks as of May 2023:- Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+)
- Apple Music Family
- Apple One Bundle (Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+)
- Walmart+ Membership
- $15 +play Credit
- 100GB Mobile Hotspot Data
- 3 TravelPass Days Per Month (for international roaming)
- 2TB Verizon Cloud Storage
- Smartwatch Data Plan
Other Plans
Verizon has additional plans. A full listing can be found on Verizon's website.
Many of Verizon's more expensive plans include allotments of high-priority data. Verizon's lower-cost plans usually do not include high-priority data.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. Congestion is more of an issue with Verizon than T-Mobile or AT&T. Learn more here.
Taxes and fees are not included in the advertised prices of most Verizon plans. Additionally, advertised prices are often only available to customers that opt in for automatic payments and paper-free billing.
Among the major network operators, Verizon probably makes the fewest misleading claims in its advertisements. However, Verizon has been guilty of overstating the benefits of 5G.
In my experience, Verizon's customer support is ok but short of impressive.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with Verizon.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
T-Mobile In Detail
Go5G-Era Plans
In April 2023, T-Mobile launched a set of unlimited plans: Essentials Savings, Go5G, and Go5G Plus. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts. The more expensive plans include additional features.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices for the Go5G and Go5G Plus plans include taxes and fees. The Essentials Savings plan does not include taxes or fees. On some plans, discounts are available for first responders, military members, and veterans. People 55 and older are eligible for a discount on some plans with either one or two lines.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Essentials Savings | Go5G | Go5G Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50 | $75 | $90 |
| 2 | $40 | $65 | $75 |
| 3 | $30 | $43 | $50 |
| 4 | $25 | $39 | $46 |
| 5 | $22 | $36 | $44 |
Go5G-Era Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 3 unlimited plans can be found on T-Mobile's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Go5G Plus- Taxes & fees included
- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- Free Netflix (2 screen plan with multiple lines, 1 screen otherwise)
- 50GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees included
- 100GB high-priority data
- Free Netflix (1 screen) with multi-line account
- 15GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees extra
- No high-priority data
- Mobile hotspot data capped to sluggish speeds
Magenta-Era Plans
T-Mobile continues to offer three older postpaid, unlimited plans: Essentials, Magenta, and Magenta MAX. They are similar, but not identical, to the Go5G-era plans. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices for the Magenta and Magenta MAX plans include taxes and fees. The Essentials plan does not include taxes or fees. Discounts are available for people 55 and over, first responders, military members, and veterans.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Essentials | Magenta | Magenta MAX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60 | $70 | $85 |
| 2 | $45 | $60 | $70 |
| 3 | $30 | $47 | $57 |
| 4 | $26 | $40 | $50 |
| 5 | $24 | $36 | $46 |
Magenta-Era Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 3 unlimited plans can be found on T-Mobile's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Magenta MAX- Taxes & fees included
- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- Free Netflix (2 screen plan with multiple lines, 1 screen otherwise)
- 40GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees included
- 100GB high-priority data
- Free Netflix (1 screen) with multi-line account
- 5GB mobile hotspot data
- Taxes & fees extra
- No high-priority data
- Mobile hotspot data capped to sluggish speeds
T-Mobile Connect
T-Mobile offers four Connect plans. All include unlimited minutes and texts.- 1GB - $10 per month
- 3.5GB - $15 per month
- 6.5GB - $25 per month
- 12GB - $35 per month
Other Plans
T-Mobile has a lot of plans. For a complete listing, take a look at T-Mobile's website.
Most postpaid and prepaid plans (including T-Mobile Connect plans) include high-priority data. The Essentials plan has low-priority data.
T-Mobile is the least gimmicky of the three major networks. Among the major networks, T-Mobile does the best job explaining its policies and disclosing limitations placed on its phone plans.
T-Mobile's advertisements are sometimes misleading. For example, T-Mobile has been stressing that it has more 5G coverage than any other network. While true, the claims deflect from a more important point. Among the three major networks, T-Mobile covers the fewest square miles. T-Mobile's lead is only in 5G. Older technologies are still relevant.
In my view, T-Mobile has the best customer support among the major networks. Unfortunately, that's not saying a lot. Customer support in the phone industry is notoriously bad.
Roaming
Magenta MAX:T-Mobile's Magenta Max plan has some of the best international roaming terms available. Texts and calls plus up to 5GB of regular-speed data are offered for free in most of the world. After 5GB, additional data can be used at sluggish speeds.
Magenta:The Magenta plan includes free texts, calls, and data at sluggish speeds in most of the world. In a handful of European countries, Magenta subscribers are eligible for up to 5GB of regular-speed data.
Most Other Postpaid Plans:Most of T-Mobile's other postpaid plans allow international roaming, but the rates are outrageous.
Prepaid Plans:Broadly, T-Mobile's prepaid plans don't have good roaming options. There are a few exceptions to that rule. Consider researching a specific prepaid plan on T-Mobile's website if you want to dive deeper.
International Calling & Texting
Most of T-Mobile's plans allow international calling and texting with added fees. On a few plans, international texting is included without extra fees. See T-Mobile's website for details.
Mint In Detail
Plans
Mint offers four plans. All include unlimited minutes and texts. Below, I list plans' data allotments and their lowest prices:
- 5GB - $15 per month
- 15GB - $20 per month
- 20GB - $25 per month
- Unlimited - (really 40GB) - $30 per month
Mint's plans are cheaper when more months of service are purchased upfront. However, new customers can get three months of service at the per-month rate usually reserved for customers that pay for 12 months of service upfront.
Price Per Month
| 5GB | 15GB | 20GB | 40GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Months Or New Cust. | $15 | $20 | $25 | $30 |
| 6 Months | $20 | $25 | $35 | $35 |
| 3 Months | $25 | $35 | $45 | $40 |
Rates listed in the table are before taxes and fees.
Mint Mobile subscribers have lower priority than most people on T-Mobile-branded cell phone plans. Fortunately, T-Mobile isn't terribly prone to congestion. Low-priority data tends to have more adverse consequences on Verizon's network.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Gimmicks
For a cell phone carrier, Mint is relatively straightforward. The pricing model that requires upfront payments for the best rates is a bit gimmicky, but Mint is relatively upfront about how that works.
One of Mint's larger gimmicks is its "unlimited" plan. The plan actually limits full-speed data use to 40GB per month. After 40GB, speeds slow to a crawl. While "unlimited" is a misnomer, 40GB per month is more than enough data for the vast majority of people.
Catches & Limits
- Unlimited plan is capped to 40GB
- Mobile hotspot use on unlimited plan is capped to 10GB
- Data is low-priority on T-Mobile's network
I've found Mint's support to be pretty impressive for a budget-friendly carrier. Chat-based support is available 24/7. Phone support is available every day during a 14-hour window.
As of 4/7/2023, Coverage Critic does not have a financial relationship with Mint.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
AT&T In Detail
Prominent Postpaid Plans
AT&T has three postpaid, unlimited plans: Unlimited Premium, Extra, and Starter. All include unlimited data, minutes, and texts. The pricier plans come with extra features.
Prices vary by the number of lines on an account. Prices in the table don't include taxes and fees.
Price Per Line
| Lines | Starter | Extra | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65 | $75 | $85 |
| 2 | $60 | $65 | $75 |
| 3 | $45 | $50 | $60 |
| 4 | $35 | $40 | $50 |
| 5 | $30 | $35 | $45 |
Plan Features
Full details about the differences between the 3 unlimited plans can be found on AT&T's website. Below, I highlight key attributes of each plan.
Premium- Unlimited high-priority data (helps during congestion)
- 50GB mobile hotspot data
- 4k video streaming permitted
- 50GB high-priority data
- 15GB mobile hotspot data
- Video throttled to standard definition
- No high-priority data
- 3GB mobile hotspot data
- Video throttled to standard definition
Prepaid 12-Month Plan
For those willing to pay for a year of service upfront, AT&T offers a solid deal on a prepaid plan with unlimited minutes & texts plus 16GB data per month. The plan is available for a $300 upfront payment (equivalent to $25 per month).
Other Plans
AT&T has a fair share of plans. For a more complete listing, take a look at AT&T's website.
AT&T offers high-priority data on the Unlimited Premium and Unlimited Extra plans. The Unlimited Starter plan does not include high-priority data.
Data priority can significantly affect the quality of service subscribers experience when networks are congested. However, networks are not congested at most times and in most places. Learn more here.
Taxes and fees add to the cost of most plans.
AT&T often overstates the quality of its networks and often cites silly tests in the process.
In the cellular industry, customer support tends to be lousy. In my experience, AT&T's customer support is pretty standard for the industry.
Coverage Critic has a financial relationship with AT&T.
More details, including a list of which companies Coverage Critic has financial relationships with, can be found on Coverage Critic's transparency page.
Data Confidence
The coverage information for South Bay is rated as medium-low confidence. I suggest talking with neighbors about cell phone coverage and looking at carriers' coverage maps before choosing a plan.
5G Coverage In South Bay
The FCC collects data about 5G coverage, but it's unreliable since networks are rapidly deploying 5G coverage.
Millimeter Wave 5G
Most 5G services will use the same spectrum traditionally used for 4G, but some areas will have coverage from a new technology called millimeter wave 5G. Service using millimeter wave 5G is extremely fast, but coverage is limited. Millimeter waves aren't well-suited for traveling long distances.[3]
| Network | Millimeter Wave |
|---|---|
| Verizon | X |
| AT&T | X |
| T-Mobile | X |
None of the major networks are expected to offer millimeter wave 5G in South Bay. Even in cities where millimeter wave is available, coverage tends to be sparse and is often limited to dense, outdoor locations.
Network-Supplied Coverage Data
| Any Coverage | 4G Coverage | |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon | 100% | 100% |
| AT&T | 100% | 100% |
| T-Mobile | 100% | 100% |
The data above is extrapolated from information network operators shared with the FCC about coverage in South Bay.[1] Values in the table indicate the percent of South Bay's population expected to be covered by each network (not the percent of land area covered). Please be aware that network operators often report coverage inaccurately (usually overstating coverage).[2]
Florida Coverage Scores
Verizon is expected to have the best coverage in most of Florida.
| Network | Coverage Score |
|---|---|
| Verizon | 8.8 |
| AT&T | 8.7 |
| T-Mobile | 8.2 |
Cell Phone Coverage In Other Parts Of Florida
Niche Plan Recommendations
Cell phone providers listed below aren't recommended for everyone, but they may be great options for some people in South Bay.
T-Mobile Connect plans include unlimited minutes and texts. Data allotments vary with the price of plans:
- 1GB - $10 per month
- 3.5GB - $15 per month
- 6.5GB - $25 per month
- 12GB - $35 per month
The 1GB and 3.5GB T-Mobile Connect plans may be among the best cheap phone plans for people in South Bay who don’t use a lot of data.
Xfinity Mobile is expected to be available in South Bay. The service runs on Verizon’s network, and it's only available to Xfinity Internet customers. Xfinity Mobile’s plans include unlimited minutes and texts at no charge. Subscribers only pay for data.
Xfinity Mobile has two kinds of plans: unlimited data plans and pay-by-the-gig plans. Prices can be amazing for pay-by-the-gig customers that don’t use much data. Within a family plan, Xfinity allows mixing and matching between by-the-gig and unlimited plans.
Xfinity Mobile subscribers should be cautious about becoming locked into Xfinity-branded services. If an Xfinity Mobile subscriber ceases paying for another Xfinity service, the subscriber will be charged an extra $25 per line each month.
What's The Best Cell Phone Plan In South Bay?
The best cell phone plan for one person in South Bay won’t be the best phone plan for everyone in South Bay. People vary in the amount of data, minutes, and texts they use each month. Further, people differ in how they want to make tradeoffs between prices, coverage quality, and other factors.
For those struggling to choose between two cell phone providers, consider trying the cheaper option first. If you have a good initial experience with a cheap phone plan, you can stick with it and save month after month. You can switch to a different plan if you have a bad experience in the first month.
Switching between cell phone plans is getting easier. Most carriers have phased out long-term contracts. Phones tend to have better compatibility across networks than they used to. Just beware of installment plans. Cell phone carriers often run deals that entice people to purchase expensive phones on installment plans that last two or more years.
Test Drive Cell Service
If you want to test drive a cell phone carrier or network, there's a decent chance an eSIM trial is available. These trials make testing out service extremely easy if you have a compatible phone. While recent iPhones have the best support, some carriers offer trials for recent Android phones. Coverage Critic's eSIM trial list is updated regularly and runs through the details of different trials.
Data Priority In South Bay
Network operators assign different levels of data priority to different users. When cell towers are not congested, priority levels are unimportant. However, during periods of congestion, subscribers with high-priority data may experience better speeds than subscribers with low-priority data. Congestion varies by location, and I don't have good data on congestion in South Bay. However, I'll note that I've found Verizon, the top-ranked network in South Bay, to be more congestion-prone than either T-Mobile or AT&T.
About The Coverage Model
Coverage Critic’s model crunches millions of rows of data to assess cell phone coverage quality in South Bay and other cities throughout the U.S.
I believe the model is better than anything else on the market, but it’s far from perfect. I'm working to improve the model, and I expect the underlying data collected by the FCC will improve over time also.
On another page, I list internet service providers in South Bay.
Known Limitations
Coverage Maps:- Michigan and Alaska are missing for the coverage maps (but coming soon).
- LTE coverage information for Verizon is unavailable in the coverage maps in portions of the Northeast.
- Some networks report coverage more reliably than others. In future updates, stronger corrections will be introduced.
- Networks vary in congestion levels. This is not adequately accounted for. Verizon would probably not score quite as well if the model adequately captured the consequences of congestion.
- The FCC data used for scoring networks is significantly out of date. Coverage Critic will soon move to a different approach that uses newer data.
- T-Mobile's network has improved substantially in the last few years. This is not adequately captured (but hopefully will be soon).
- Numerical 0 to 10 scores are hard to interpret in concrete terms.
Interpreting Coverage Scores For South Bay
Coverage Scores assess the quality of networks' cell phone service in South Bay on a 0 to 10 scale. Coverage Scores don’t account for other factors like prices or customer support quality.
- 8.5+ – Nearly all subscribers using a network with a score above 8.5 will experience a strong signal in outdoor areas by their residences. The large majority of people will experience a strong signal inside their homes. Few dead spots will be found when out and about in South Bay.
- 7-8.5 – The large majority of people will experience a strong signal just outside their homes. Most people will also have a strong signal indoors. Dead spots may exist within the city or town, but most people won’t encounter dead spots often.
- 5-7 – Most people will experience acceptable signal strength at their homes, but a substantial portion of people won’t have adequate service. In most cases, people should opt for a network with a higher Coverage Score. People who aren’t adamant about having high-quality service and/or lack other options may still have a satisfactory experience with networks that score between 5 and 7. Consider looking at coverage maps and talking with neighbors before choosing a network that scores in this range.
- 0-5 – If possible, opt for a network with a higher score. Consult carriers’ coverage maps if you have no better options.
Feedback On Cell Phone Coverage In South Bay
If you have feedback about the cell coverage in South Bay or opinions about the best cell phone plans in South Bay, please reach out!
Footnotes:
1. The data comes from the December 2019 release of the FCC’s Form 477 data on cellular coverage. I plan to incorporate newer data soon.🠕
2. When calculating Coverage Scores for South Bay, adjustments are made for potentially misreported data. Additionally, some weight is given to coverage quality in other parts of Florida and the wider United States. I don't make similar adjustments to the coverage data in the table.
The underlying data is at the census-block level. In census blocks where carriers report partial coverage, I multiply the reported coverage level by the portion of the block that is covered. My approach isn’t perfect. Covered portions of census blocks may be more densely populated than uncovered portions of census blocks.🠕
3. Previously, network operators usually publicly announced when they brought millimeter wave 5G to new cities. My database of cities where major networks offer millimeter wave 5G is based largely on these announcements. In the last few years, these announcements have slowed. The database may be meaningfully out of date.🠕
Last updated: May 17, 2023