4 Reasons to Switch to T-Mobile & 4 Reasons Not To

Don’t Switch for Network Reception

T-Mobile leads in data speeds, but its network isn't always reliable.

OpenSignal’s T-Mobile Coverage Map shows just how spotty the network’s coverage is outside of metropolitan areas. Red on the map indicates bad reception from OpenSignal’s customers. Coverage is very light in the mid-western United States. Reception drops off in small towns and rural areas.

T-Mobile customers are less likely to have 4G connectivity than Verizon customers, according to the February 2017 Open Signal State of the Mobile Networks report. The report shows Verizon subscribers had 4G LTE speeds 88 percent of the time compared to T-Mobile customers connecting to 4G LTE 86 percent of the time. Customers on AT&T’s network connected to LTE 82 percent of the time. Sprint’s 76 percent score was the lowest of the national carriers. The company used data it collected from September 30th, 2016 to December 30th, 2016.

This report only reveals some of the problems T-Mobile subscribers face. The network can’t penetrate some buildings that other networks can, forcing customers to step outside to take a call. Areas where customers should have solid reception sometimes lack coverage, which forces subscribers to connect to a free Wi-Fi hotspot to get online.

T-Mobile recommends subscribers use Wi-Fi calling to deal with network connectivity and reception issues. However, Wi-Fi calling is a bandage for a problem the carrier should have solved by now.