Best Phone Coverage in Santa Ana, CA: Cell Service in the Downtown of Orange County

Santa Ana, CA, a populous city on the Pacific coast, is an amazing place to live. Whether you live there already or are planning a move, finding the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, is essential to making the most out of your time in the area. Very close to the coast, Santa Ana is a spectacular place to be and is well covered by every major wireless network. 

This article will cover the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, and why each of these carriers makes it into our top three. 

Our research found that AT&T, Verizon, and Tello Mobile are the top three for best phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA. This article features detailed information on the following: 

• Map of the fastest cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA
• Local and national carriers that cover Santa Ana, CA
• Frequently asked questions about phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA

Phone Coverage in Santa Ana, CA, at a Glance

Lightning-Fast Data Speeds on Major Networks

Santa Ana, CA, is the perfect distance from the coast. It is a short drive to Huntington Beach, but you don’t deal with tourism like many beaches and major metropolitan areas of California do. 

The city coverage is quite excellent among the three major networks. There is almost complete 5G coverage in city limits, making every one of the three major carriers an excellent choice for coverage in the city. However, the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, goes to AT&T. They win the crown due to the reliability of their 5G network, which they have over the other two major providers. 

Local and National Cell Phone Carriers in Santa Ana, CA

The top three carriers in Santa Ana, CA, are AT&T, Verizon, and Tello Mobile.

AT&T separates itself from the pack with its high coverage in Santa Ana, CA. With its 5G Ultra Wideband network, Verizon is a strong second vying for the best phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA. Along with T-Mobile, these three companies are the major wireless networks in the United States. This means they own and maintain their mobile network. For customers, it means they offer bigger plans with faster, priority data at a high cost each month. 

Our third pick is Tello Mobile, our favorite MVNO, to provide the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA. MVNOs, like Tello Mobile, rent their bandwidth from the big three networks to give their customers cheaper access to data. These lower prices are possible because their plans often offer limited high-speed data and less data priority, meaning there is a greater chance of data throttling in times of high usage. There are many MVNOs on each network. Tello Mobile uses T-Mobile’s coverage, and they made it onto our list because of their excellently priced low-data plans. 

Let’s take a look at which of these carriers use the network that gives people in Santa Ana, CA the best phone coverage.

#1 in Santa Ana, CA: AT&T 

Best Cell Phone Plan Range in Santa Ana, CA

AT&T provides the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, with its reliable service and fast network. Every major wireless network is hustling to roll out 5G coverage in the USA, and AT&T is currently your best bet for Santa Ana. 

Their 5G network is very strong and will give you high-speed data everywhere in the city. Next time you’re shopping in South Coast Plaza, you can rest assured that your cell phone will deliver high-speed data. Outside of the major metropolitan areas of California, AT&T’s coverage extends further than the competition, making it a great choice for those who travel a lot around California. 

Price: Varies

Plan: AT&T offers three unlimited plans at various price points. Their price is comparable to the plans at Verizon. 

AT&T offers three unlimited plans. 

• AT&T Unlimited Starter Plan
• AT&T Unlimited Extra Plan
• AT&T Unlimited Premium Plan

There are few surprises in AT&T’s unlimited plan pricing. Like Verizon and T-Mobile, these plans start at a very high price point before any multi-line savings. Opening a single-line account with a major wireless company is always expensive, and while there are some great new customer deals out there, we caution you to look at the contracts and ties that come with the deal. Many lock you into paying more over a few years than you initially saved. With three cell phone plans, AT&T has a basic plan with few bells and whistles, a medium plan, and a premium plan with many extras. 

• AT&T’s starter plan has unlimited high-speed data with 3 GBs of high-speed hotspot data.  
• AT&T’s extra plan comes with 50 GB of premium data and 15 GB of high-speed hotspot data. 
• AT&T’s premium plan comes with unlimited premium data and 50 GB of high-speed hotspot data.

When walking around a trendy spot like the 4th Street Market, you may notice slowdowns if you have basic high-speed data, as these spots are usually swarming with young professionals who are on their phones for all bandwidth-consuming activities. We recommend starting with the starter plan. If you notice data slowdowns with some regularity during your travels in Santa Ana and wish to avoid them, switching to one of their higher-tier plans is more than worthwhile. 

👍 What We Liked

• Area Coverage. All three major networks put a lot of money into their networks annually, and AT&T has the very best coverage in Santa Ana, CA. That extra coverage means fewer slowdowns and dead spots within the city.  
• Family Plan Savings. The savings with multi-line plans are incredible at AT&T. This is true for all major wireless networks, but it bears mentioning here as well. Family plan savings are amazing. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• SD Streaming. AT&T’s first two tiers of the unlimited plan only offer SD streaming, a big downside for anyone who likes to watch video on mobile networks. 
• Premium Data. While it is an unlikely occurrence, a surprise slow-down of your mobile service is quite vexing. Their basic unlimited plan provides no premium data, and while the second tier comes with 50 GB, that goes quickly if you use your phone a decent amount.  

‍

#2 in Santa Ana, CA: Verizon Wireless 

Fastest 5G and 4G LTE in Santa Ana, CA

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network brings them just behind AT&T in the race for the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA. While Verizon’s lightning-fast 5G network (download speeds upwards of 100 Mbps) is incredible, it is only available in select locations in the country. The dark red spots in the coverage map denote their most powerful 5G network, leaving a lot of areas with spotty coverage. There are reports of new, 5G-capable phones having spotty coverage in areas of San Diego, and that coverage is similar in nearby Santa Ana. 

This is a problem seen around the country. Imagine walking to the edge of your house's WiFi zone. Your signal gets super weak, but there are several feet where your phone remains on WiFi coverage instead of switching to the network, where you can’t load anything. That’s what happens if you are in an area with weak (but receivable) 5G coverage. Verizon users all over the country have noted that problem with their devices.  

Fortunately, it only happens in a few particular areas in Santa Ana. Verizon outputs some of the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, in most of the metro area and beyond. 

Price: Varies

Plan: Verizon offers a pair of unlimited plans. One has unlimited high-speed data, and the other has unlimited premium high-speed data.  

Verizon offers two unlimited plans. 

• Welcome Unlimited, priced at $65/55/40/30 a month per line
• Unlimited Plus, priced at $80/70/55/45 a month per line

While expensive, multi-line savings make these two plans much more affordable. On top of unlimited premium data, the Unlimited Plus comes with the following: 

• 30 GB mobile hotspot
• Device savings
• Price Guarantee
• Premium data

Regardless of the number of lines, the Unlimited Plus plan is $15 more per line on your account. This is a lot, but the premium data is handy in spaces with high data usage. It is hard to gauge how important premium data is. There are many areas around the country where Verizon’s network is strong enough to keep everyone using full-speed data.

Data is frequently slowed down in other areas, especially in big cities. We recommend starting on the less expensive plan and checking your data speeds for a month or two. Santa Ana, CA, is a big city, but new networks are strong. If you notice slow data, we recommend switching to a more expensive plan if you have the budget for it. 

Alongside the base plans, Verizon offers a package of optional add-ons that each add $10 to your cell phone bill. The best part is that you can skip them entirely and stick to the base plan price, but if you find any Verizon add-ons you like, adding them to your plan always saves a few dollars on the service. 

👍 What We Liked

• 5G Ultra Wideband Coverage. When you have 5G data, it is incredible. There are some troubles with phone network priority, but Verizon’s general coverage is fantastic.  
• Family Plan Savings. Verizon single-line costs are crazy. We recommend finding friends and family to create a multi-line account and enjoy serious savings. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Price. Even though they have a strong network and provide services to make the price worthwhile, Verizon is very expensive. If you are planning to open a single-line plan, the best way to utilize Verizon’s amazing network is through an MVNO like Visible Wireless. 
• Customer Service. This appears to be a common trend among cell phone companies, but there are many negative experiences with Verizon’s customer service.

#3 in Santa Ana, CA: Tello Mobile

Most Affordable Cell Phone Plans in Santa Ana, CA

Our favorite MVNO in Santa Ana, CA is Tello Mobile. They are known for their incredibly affordable cell phone plans that let you save big on your phone bill. Trendy spots like The Boiling Crab, Taqueria Los Grandes, and Portola Coffee Roasters see more tourist activity, so you will see more congestion in those areas due to higher foot traffic. 

Price: Varies

Plan: Tello Mobile offers a variety of plans between 0 GBs of high-speed data and 25 GBs of high-speed data. 

Tello Mobile is an excellent choice for people interested in low-data plans. They offer the following plans: 

• 500 MB for $9 a month
• 1 GB for $10 a month
• 2 GBs for $14 a month
• 5 GBs for $19 a month
• 10 GBs for $24 a month
• 25 GBs for $29 a month

Tello Mobile uses T-Mobile’s network for coverage, giving its users fantastic nationwide 4G LTE and 5G data. Since none of these plans offer unlimited high-speed data, you need to watch your consumption. If you quickly chew through the 25 GB of allocated high-speed data each month, these plans are not for you. However, if you can ration your data, you will save a ton on your cell phone bill. 

👍 What We Liked

• Excellent customer service. Online reviews rave about Tello Mobile, a feat for any cellular provider. Tello Mobile has one of the highest-rated customer service branches in the country, and we are confident that whenever issues arise, its customer service will do all in its power to fix them.  
• Competitive prices among MVNOs. Tello Mobile’s prices are fantastic. The reason you would switch to a carrier like Tello Mobile is to save money. Tello’s plans cater to low-data users. If you spend most of the day in WiFi zones and are able to limit usage when out and about, you will save big on your cell phone bill. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• No multi-line savings. Tello Mobile’s plans are priced amazingly, but they do not offer any savings for multi-line plans. This makes them great for single-line accounts, but if you are part of a family plan, the affordability of Tello Mobile diminishes in relation to multi-line savings from MVNOs like Mint and Cricket. 
• Data deprioritization. It is not a surprise, but your data will slow whenever there is a high strain on the bandwidth in your area. There is a high possibility that you will lose data speeds in Santa Ana, CA.

Get to Know Your Local Carrier Options in Santa Ana, CA

While not included on this list, T-Mobile has an excellent presence in Santa Ana, CA. Their data is notoriously unreliable in the wider area of California, but you can expect solid coverage most of the time on T-Mobile. Alongside the big three, many MVNOs like Tello Mobile provide affordable and reliable coverage in the area. In this section, we want to highlight two of our favorite MVNOs, Mint Mobile and Visible Wireless. You’ve already seen Tello Mobile, which is our favorite for low-data single-line accounts. Mint Mobile is our favorite for medium-data multi-line accounts, and Visible Wireless is our favorite for high-data single-line accounts. 

Mint Mobile operates on T-Mobile's network and is known for affordable cell phone plans. It is best for medium-data users because their unlimited plan does not have unlimited high-speed data. Mint’s unlimited plan comes with 35 GB of high-speed data before your data is throttled to 3G speeds.

Visible Wireless is our favorite MVNO for high-data users. They only have two plans, both of which provide unlimited high-speed data. Visible’s plans start at $30, and they don’t have any multi-line savings. Their inexpensive single-line plans make it our top choice for anyone interested in opening a single-line account with unlimited high-speed data. 

FAQ: Your Questions About Cell Phone Coverage in Santa Ana, CA, Answered

Is AT&T or Verizon better in Santa Ana, CA?

AT&T provides the best phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, but Verizon is a close second. They are both upgrading their service in the area to provide faster and more reliable coverage in the future. 

Is T-Mobile coverage good in Santa Ana, CA?

While all three major carriers have excellent signals in Santa Ana, CA, T-Mobile lags behind the competition. 

What is the best cell service in the Bay Area?

In the larger Bay Area, AT&T came out ahead among serious competition. 

TLDR: AT&T is your best bet for fast phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA

Use really.com to compare! 

AT&T provides the best cell phone coverage in Santa Ana, CA, due to its hyper-reliable network coverage extending throughout the city. If you want more info about plans available in Santa Ana, CA, compare carriers at Really.com to decide which phone carrier is best for you.