Understand what LTE and 5G bands AT&T uses, what MVNOs use the AT&T network, and the best plans currently available on the AT&T network.
AT&T’s network provides coverage to over 400 million people across the United States and Mexico.
AT&T covers over 99% of the United States population.
Here’s AT&T’s coverage map, as reported by the independent third party site RootMetrics:
AT&T coverage map as reported by RootMetrics
If you’d like, you can check AT&T's coverage in your area by using the following resources:
You can also download and use the following applications to see if AT&T offers good coverage in your area:
AT&T LTE bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 17, 29, 30, 66
AT&T 5G bands: n5, n260
The bands in bold are AT&T's primary bands that they use for LTE and 5G coverage. Make sure your phone supports these LTE and 5G bands for the best coverage, performance, and data speeds on the AT&T network.
Band 2 (1900MHz): Band 2 is one of AT&T’s primary LTE bands. It is deployed in 20x20MHz blocks, as opposed to Verizon’s 10x10MHz blocks, to allow for greater capacity. Tutella reports that band 2 accounts for 40.2% of AT&T’s mobile data volume.
Band 12/17 (700MHz): Bands 12 and 17 operate in a spectrum of frequencies known as the lower 700 band. The frequency range is between 698-746MHz. The lower 700 band is divided into 5 blocks: A, B, C, D, and E. Band 12 uses blocks A, B, and C, while Band 17 just uses blocks B and C. AT&T primarily uses Band 12 as one of its core LTE bands. Tutella reports band 12 accounted for 17.2% of AT&T’s network mobile data usage.
Band 4 (1700/2100MHz): Band 4, also known as AWS-1, is an LTE band that AT&T uses to supplement coverage and improve network capacity in certain markets. AT&T typically deploys band 4 in 5x5MHz blocks. This is the opposite of Verizon, which actually uses band 4 as one of their primary LTE bands and deploys it in larger 20x20MHz blocks.
Band 66 (1700/2100MHz): Band 66 includes the same frequency blocks as Band 4, but adds a few additional blocks of spectrum. The additional blocks are G, H, I, and J (collectively referred to as AWS-3), and a chunk at the end referred to as AWS-4. AWS stands for “Advanced Wireless Services” because the frequency bands were primarily used for newer network technologies, like 4G LTE. AT&T is actively deploying band 66 in 10x10MHz blocks to improve network speed and capacity in certain markets. Band 66 accounted for 17.4% of AT&T’s network traffic.
Band 29 (700MHz): AT&T uses Band 29 to supplement its LTE network in certain markets. Band 29 is typically deployed in 5x0MHz or 10x0MHz blocks, meaning that it is primarily used to help supplement the download speeds and performance in markets in which it is deployed.
Band 30 (WCS 2300MHz): AT&T also uses band 30 to supplement its LTE network. However, that said, Tutella’s 2020 State of Mobile Experience report indicates 10.8% of AT&T’s mobile data by volume was over band 30, so band 30 is likely beginning to play a larger role in AT&T’s LTE network. Band 30 is typically deployed in 10x10MHz blocks.
Band 5 (850MHz): AT&T used band 5 as part of its 3G network. AT&T is currently transitioning band 5 to be used for its LTE network. Band 5 is sometimes used to provide coverage in markets where AT&T does not have band 12 coverage.
Band 14 (700MHz): Band 14 is exclusively used for the FirstNet network. FirstNet is a government authority that is using band 14 to create a federally-funded public safety channel. AT&T won the contract with FirstNet and will be the carrier responsible for building out the FirstNet network. In exchange, AT&T is allowed to use some of the band 14 spectrum for its commercial AT&T network.
Band n5 (850MHz): AT&T is using band n5 as part of its low-band 5G network. The low frequency of n5 allows it to travel greater distances and have better building penetration, but the low frequency also means n5 has small channel bandwidth, which will have very similar performance to LTE. Band n5 currently makes up a large potion of AT&T's 5G coverage map.
Band n260 (39 GHz): Band n260 is one of AT&T’s mmWave 5G bands. It has a HUGE amount of spectrum behind it and can support insanely fast speeds over shorter distances. The channel sizes are typically 50MHz, 100MHz, 200MHz, or even 400MHz. AT&T is actively building out its mmWave 5G network and calling it “AT&T 5G+”.
