FirstNet: 11 Facts To Know Before You Sign Up

1. What is FirstNet?

FirstNet is a prepaid cell phone carrier known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO.

An MVNO is simply any cell phone carrier that does not operate its own cellular network.

Instead of building their own networks, MVNOs make agreements with the four big carriers to use their cellular networks for coverage.

In FirstNet’s case, it uses the AT&T network for coverage.

If you are curious to learn more about how the agreements work between the big carriers and the small carriers, check out my article on how some cell phone plans can cost so much less than others.

2. What cell phone plans does FirstNet offer?

FirstNet offers the following cell phone plans to choose from:

• FirstNet Unlimited Standard: $40 for Unlimited data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts

• FirstNet Unlimited Standard: $40 for no data, Unlimited minutes minutes, and Unlimited texts texts

• FirstNet Unlimited Enhanced: $45 for Unlimited data, Unlimited minutes, and Unlimited texts

• FirstNet Unlimited Enhanced: $45 for no data, Unlimited minutes minutes, and Unlimited texts texts

You can see more details and features of FirstNet's plans below:

FirstNet Unlimited Standard Military



1 Line



1 Line



AT&T

$

40

/mo.

+tax

tax included

Unlimited

high-speed





Unlimited priority



No hotspot



480p video streaming



Unlimited minutes



Unlimited texts



Int'l texting to 200+ countries



Int'l calls to CAN & MEX



Unlimited in CAN & MEX



$10/day int'l data

FirstNet Unlimited Enhanced Military



1 Line



1 Line



AT&T

$

45

/mo.

+tax

tax included

Unlimited

high-speed





Unlimited priority



Included hotspot



4K video streaming



Unlimited minutes



Unlimited texts



Int'l texting to 200+ countries



Int'l calls to CAN & MEX



Unlimited in CAN & MEX



$10/day int'l data

3. What deals, discounts, or referral programs does FirstNet have?

No discounts or referral programs are available at this time.

4. Does FirstNet offer family plans?

FirstNet offers the following family plans to choose from:

FirstNet does not offer family plans at this time. Each line you have will need its own separate account.

5. Does FirstNet have plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

No, FirstNet does not offer plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices.

6. How good is FirstNet's coverage?

FirstNet rides on the AT&T network for coverage, so reception in most places is pretty good.

See the full coverage details below:

Verizon coverage information

Total coverage: 67.4%
Total square miles covered: 2,246,127
Total population covered: 327 million people (98.0)%
5G coverage: 14.5%
5G square miles covered: 484,321
Population covered by 5G: 230 million people (69.0%)

The above data come from the FCC and from Verizon directly.

Check Verizon coverage in your area by using Verizon's official coverage map.

You can also check coverage using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

Verizon coverage map — Verizon's coverage map reported by CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.

Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to participate in the project.

AT&T coverage information

Total coverage: 78.1%
Total square miles covered: 2,602,364
Total population covered: 330 million people (99.0%)
5G coverage: 43.3%
5G square miles covered: 1,444,381
Population covered by 5G: 300 million people (90.0%)

The above information comes from the FCC and from AT&T direclty.

You can check AT&T coverage in your area by using AT&T's official coverage map.

You can also check coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

Crowd-sourced AT&T coverage map from CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of the cellular networks.

Download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.

T-Mobile coverage information

Network: T-Mobile
Total coverage: 46.6%
Total square miles covered: 1,551,924
Total population covered: 330 million people (99.0%)
5G coverage: 36.0%
5G square miles covered: 1,200,851
Population covered by 5G: 326 million people (97.8%)

The above information comes from the FCC and from T-Mobile directly.

Check T-Mobile coverage in your area by using T-Mobile's official coverage map.

You can also check T-Mobile coverage by using third-party maps such as CoverageMap.com.

Crowd-sourced T-Mobile coverage map from CoverageMap.com

CoverageMap.com is building crowdsourced maps of cellular coverage.

You can download the free Coverage Map app for iPhone or Android to compare coverage between carriers and to contribute to the project.

7. What features does FirstNet support?

FirstNet supports:

VoLTE
WiFi calling
Visual voicemail
MMS (multimedia messaging service)
eSIM
Hotspot
Domestic roaming
Managing multiple lines from a single account
International calling
Canada and Mexico roaming
International data roaming
Multi-line discounts

8. What phones work on FirstNet?

Most phones that are unlocked will work on

FirstNet

.

An unlocked phone means it isn't tied to any carrier, contract, or financing agreement.

Consider contacting your current carrier to see if your phone is unlocked, or what the steps are to request to have it unlocked.

You can also consider purchasing an unlocked phone below that is compatible with

FirstNet

:

Shop Unlocked Phones

9. Does FirstNet support international calling or data roaming?

10. What plan add-ons does FirstNet offer?

No plan add-ons have been entered into our database for FirstNet at this time.

FirstNet: 11 Facts To Know Before You Sign Up

1. What is FirstNet?

2. What cell phone plans does FirstNet offer?

3. What deals, discounts, or referral programs does FirstNet have?

4. Does FirstNet offer family plans?

5. Does FirstNet have plans for tablets, smartwatches, or hotspot devices?

6. How good is FirstNet's coverage?

Verizon coverage information

AT&T coverage information

T-Mobile coverage information

7. What features does FirstNet support?

8. What phones work on FirstNet?

9. Does FirstNet support international calling or data roaming?

10. What plan add-ons does FirstNet offer?

11. How do you contact FirstNet customer service?

FirstNet

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