United States

Mobile networks and carriers in United States use 1 GSM band, 16 LTE bands, 2 CDMA bands, and 11 5G NR bands. Find out if your unlocked phone or mobile device will work in United States. See the tables below for details.

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The United States has a rich history in mobile network development, with significant advancements in each generation of cellular technology.

First Generation (1G)

The first mobile phone service emerged on June 17, 1946, at Bell Labs, allowing users to place and receive calls from their cars. This was followed by the introduction of the Mobile Telephone Service (MTS) by AT&T in 1946, with limited coverage in urban areas. In 1965, AT&T improved this service by renaming it Improved Mobile Telephone Service (IMTS), which added radio channels for more simultaneous calls and included customer dialing, eliminating the need for manual operators. The first 1G network in the US was launched by Ameritech on March 6, 1983, costing $100 million to develop and taking 10 years to reach the market. This network had severe limitations, including low sound quality, no roaming support, and no encryption, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping. The download speed was also slow, reaching only around 2.4 kbps.

Second Generation (2G)

In 1991, the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) was launched in Finland, and by 1992, 2G was introduced to the US. This generation introduced significant improvements over 1G, including encryption, better sound quality, and increased download speeds to 0.2 Mbps. The 2G network enabled data transfer between phones, leading to the development of text messaging (SMS) and multimedia messaging (MMS). This period also saw the rise of Nokia as a market leader with the popular candy bar phone, the Nokia 3210.

Third Generation (3G)

Deployed for the public in Japan by NTT DoCoMo in 2001, 3G introduced standardized network protocols, enabling users to access data from anywhere and facilitating international roaming. Compared to 2G, 3G had four times the data transferring capabilities, reaching up to 2 Mbps on average. This generation supported video streaming, video conferences, and live video chats, as well as standard emails on mobile devices.

Fourth Generation (4G)

Commercially introduced in Norway at the end of 2009, 4G represented a significant upgrade with a minimum download speed of 12.5 Mbps. This generation supported high-quality video streaming, chat, and online gaming. Initially, the US rollout was not straightforward, with the first commercial 4G networks not meeting the 12.5 Mbps minimum speed. However, the ITU Radiocommunication Sector agreed that 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) could be considered 4G as long as it offered a significant upgrade from 3G. The US companies, particularly Apple and Samsung, led the market with their smartphones, driving the app development industry.

Fifth Generation (5G)

In March 2019, South Korea became the first country to introduce 5G, followed by the US in April 2019 with initial rollouts in Chicago and Minneapolis. By the end of 2020, there were 15.8 million 5G users in the US, expected to increase by 161% in 2021 to 41.3 million users. 5G offers significantly faster upload and download speeds due to decreased latency, with average latency dropping from 50 milliseconds in 4G to around 10 milliseconds in 5G. This generation supports more technologies and is crucial for the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart technologies.

The US has invested heavily in 5G technology, positioning itself as a leader in this area. The country's digital infrastructure is robust, with the US ranking third worldwide on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2021 Global Innovation Index. The US remains first in research and development investment spending and is just behind China in total number of patents.

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Carriers

Name	# of frequency bands in use
AT&T	17
-- Boost Mobile	23
-- Cricket Wireless	17
-- FreedomPop	17
-- H2O Wireless	17
-- Straight Talk	24
Sprint	6
T-Mobile	11
-- Boost Mobile	23
-- Google Project Fi	12
-- Lycamobile	12
-- MetroPCS	12
-- Mint Mobile	12
-- Straight Talk	24
-- Tello	12
-- Ting (GSM)	19
U.S. Cellular	14
Verizon Wireless	13
-- Spectrum Mobile	13
-- Straight Talk	24
-- Ting (GSM)	19
-- Visible	13
-- Xfinity Mobile	13

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Frequencies in use

GSM

Name	Interface
1900 MHz (PCS)	GSM

LTE

Name	Interface
B2 (1900 MHz PCS)	LTE
B4 (1700/2100 MHz AWS 1)	LTE
B5 (850 MHz)	LTE
B12 (700 MHz ac)	LTE
B13 (700 MHz c)	LTE
B14 (700 MHz PS)	LTE
B17 (700 MHz bc)	LTE
B25 (1900 MHz +)	LTE
B26 (850 MHz +)	LTE
B29 (700 MHz de)	LTE
B30 (2300 MHz WCS)	LTE
B41 (TD 2500 MHz)	LTE
B46 (TD 5900 MHz)	LTE
B48 (TD 3600 MHz)	LTE
B66 (1700/2100 MHz)	LTE
B71 (600 MHz)	LTE

CDMA

Name	Interface
BC1 (1900 MHz PCS)	CDMA
BC10 (Secondary 800 MHz)	CDMA

5G NR

Name	Interface
N2 (1900 MHz)	5G NR
N5 (850 MHz)	5G NR
N29 (700 MHz)	5G NR
N41 (2500 MHz)	5G NR
N66 (1700/2100 MHz)	5G NR
N70 (1700/2000 MHz)	5G NR
N71 (600 MHz)	5G NR
N77 (3700 MHz)	5G NR
N258 (mmWave 26 GHz)	5G NR
N260 (mmWave 39 GHz)	5G NR
N261 (mmWave 28 GHz)	5G NR

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