Come Utilizzare Cellulare Come Router

Height Ten Reviews Verdict

Handy if y'all live in one of the areas covered by U.S. Cellular's network but roam out of it nationwide and the restrictions start to pile upward, making alternative networks ameliorate for those that travel a lot or live in an expanse not covered by the network.

Pros

+
Runs its own network
+
5G starting to come online
+
Wide choice of plans

Cons

-
Restrictive outside of dwelling house network
-
Non all plans accept priority information
-
Moneyback options aren't keen value

Outside of the large four networks (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon), U.S. Cellular is unique, equally this cell phone provider has its own cellular network. That means it has its own cell towers and infrastructure to deliver voice and telephone services. The master downside is that the network isn't particularly extensive, and moving outside of the company'south habitation ground in the Midwest and Pacific N West becomes quite restrictive making this a better network for those that don't travel a lot.

U.S. Cellular review: Contract plans

Prices from $lx a month
Summit cease is $80 a calendar month

All of U.S. Cellular'due south contracts are sold on an initial ii-year basis, making them some of the longest in the business. In that location are three plans to choose from, all including unlimited data: the main differences between plans are the features and restrictions. All plans include unlimited talk, text and data, and you tin can cull betwixt one and 4 lines.

Starting at the bottom, the Basic program costs $60 a calendar month and misses out on priority data, so if you use your phone at a busy period, speeds may be affected. With this plan, video is restricted to 480p SD streaming.

Moving up, the $seventy a calendar month Everyday plan gives you lot 720p HD streaming, plus 500MB, 100-minutes and 100 text messages when visiting Canada and Mexico. You also get 15GB of mobile hotspot usage and 25GB per month of faster priority information; afterward this limit, speeds may exist affected.

The height package is the $fourscore a month Even Better, which lets you stream video at 1080p, includes 1GB of data, 200 minutes and 200 texts when roaming in Mexico and Canada. This plan too allows you to utilize 30GB of hotspot data and includes 50GB of priority information.

Both the Everyday and Fifty-fifty Better plans have Payback included, which gets y'all $5 and $10 a month back per line respectively if you use less than 3GB of data per calendar month. If you lot're going to employ less than 3GB of information, and so y'all could get a better saving by picking a jail cell provider with lower limits making this somewhat a false economy.

U.S. Cellular review: Prepaid plans

Prices from $xl a calendar month
Tiptop end is $65 a calendar month

If you lot don't want a contract, U.S. Cellular has a option of prepaid plans. In that location'south a Pay-As-You-Go-Data plan, which costs $30 a month base price and then you pay $0.03 per MB. As that works out at $30 per GB, this is really simply a plan for people with minimal data requirements.

Move up to the 5GB programme and you get the same unlimited talk and text options, only you simply pay $40 a month. Neither of these plans mentions video streaming, and you accept to motion upwardly to the Unlimited program ($55 a calendar month) to get SD video streaming.

At the top is Unlimited Plus ($65 a calendar month), which gets you SD video streaming and throws in unlimited hotspot admission, although the speed is express to 1.5Mbps. This is the only prepaid plan to include priorty information, lasting upwards to 22GB before your connection is throttled. And, finally, you get unlimited dialling to Canada and Mexico.

U.S. Cellular review: International roaming

Roaming counts outside of home network
Defended roaming add together-ons from $fifteen a month

U.Due south. Cellular'south network is located largely in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Move out of this area, which U.S. Cellular calls a Licensed Market place, and yous're into roaming territory. In the US, this roaming is effectively costless, and you tin can apply your minutes and data here.

Exterior of this area, U.S. Cellular has partnerships with other networks to provide nationwide coverage. However, the visitor warns that mobile speeds will be reduced if you lot exceed 400MB of data while roaming.

The result is that U.S. Cellular is amend for people that won't stray out of the visitor's network very ofttimes; if you travel a lot or cross into roaming area (an Unlicensed Market place), then you'll be better off with a unlike provider.

If yous travel a lot, and then U.S. Cellular has several options for you lot. The pay-as-you-go rates differ past country and are charged per minute, per MB or per text message. Be careful, as the rates vary a lot. For case, in Canada, data costs $0.07 per MB ($70 a GB); in Mexico this rises to $0.25 per MB ($250 a GB).

There are monthly options that could work out at amend value, although what you become depends on where yous're going. For example, opt for a $35 a month package and yous'd become 1GB of data, 250 texts and 250 voice minutes in Canada; travel to Europe and y'all get just 250MB information, 25 texts and 25 voice minutes for the aforementioned price. Lower-limit, $xv a calendar month options are available, too.

U.S. Cellular review: Cell telephone options

IMEI checker for bring your own
Wide choice of the latest handsets

Y'all can bring your ain telephone to the U.S. Cellular network and tin can check if it'south compatible using the characteristic on the website: you only have to enter your IMEI number into the search box. If you want to purchase a new telephone, and so there's a adequately proficient selection on the network, taking in the iPhone, a wide-range of Samsung handsets, including the new S20, plus the Google Pixel iv, and a range of LG and Motorola handsets.

Watch out, as phones are typically sold on a thirty-month period, which exceeds the initial ii-yr contract on the contract plans.

U.S. Cellular review: Coverage and speed functioning

Small dwelling network
Relies on partnerships for nationwide coverage

U.Southward. Cellular is the fifth-largest network in the country, but information technology falls far backside the big four in full coverage with the network largely focussed on the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Exterior of these areas, U.South. Cellular relies on partner networks to provide coverage. In fact, the network is insufficiently and so small that none of the large network speed tests (Speedtest.internet and Rootmetrics) covers U.S. Cellular.

U.Southward. Cellular's coverage maps bear witness you national coverage areas for vocalism, 4G and 3G, which includes the home network and roaming on partner networks. While large urban areas are covered, in that location are chunks of the nation that are dead spots.

In particular, it'southward worth paying attention to the Licensed Markets and Non-Licensed Markets. Every bit explained before, Licensed Markets are the only areas where you can use your data plans to the total.

Beyond 4G, U.S. Cellular is starting to ringlet out its 5G network, although the focus of this is currently a very pocket-sized area, centred around Des Moines and Iowa Metropolis.

U.South. Cellular review: What users say

A+ BBB rating
Generally poor user ratings

The Amend Business organization Bureau scores U.S. Cellular an A+, although there aren't enough user ratings for it to get a score there. Reviews elsewhere aren't particular inspiring, with the prison cell provider getting a ConsumerAffairs rating of 2 and a Trustpilot rating of 2.5.

Those that alive where the network is strongest accept praised the reliability and quality of the network. Most of the complaints are near the quality of the service and not beingness able to get a reliable signal, specially when going nationwide.

U.Southward. Cellular review: Verdict

If yous live in a specific area where the U.Southward. Cellular network is at its strongest, this cell phone provider could piece of work for y'all. The main problem with the service is that its nationwide service just isn't equally good as the contest. Before you buy, bank check the coverage maps both for where you live and where you travel too oft.

If y'all're undecided on the handset yous want, bank check out our best smartphone guide, while nosotros besides rank the best prepaid prison cell phone plans . Accept a wait at our cell phone coverage map of the U.s.a. to find out who has the all-time network in America.

David has been working in technology journalism since 1998 and has been editor of Computer Shopper and Expert Reviews in the past, before he started writing for the Pinnacle Ten Reviews make. He is also an expert on habitation appliances, kitchen gadgets, home security and smart home products, which he reviews for Top Ten Reviews.