Mobile Carriers in the United States

The US mobile market looks crowded, but underneath the dozens of brand names there are really only three networks that matter: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Everything else, and there's a lot of it, runs on top of those three.

That's the key thing to understand before you go hunting for settings. When you sign up with Cricket, Mint, Visible, or Straight Talk, you're not joining a fourth network. You're buying access to one of the big three through a reseller, called an . It's usually cheaper, sometimes with trade-offs around data priority or perks, but the underlying signal is the same towers. This is why a smaller carrier's APN settings often look related to its parent network's, and why knowing the parent helps when something breaks.

Below you'll find every US carrier we cover, split into the three big networks (the ) and the resellers that run on them. Each links through to verified APN settings, MMS configuration, and eSIM details.

The three national networks

AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon own and operate their own towers. If you want the broadest coverage and the most predictable performance, you're usually on one of these directly. They also host nearly every other carrier on this page.

MVNOs: the same networks, less money

This is where US mobile gets interesting. Dozens of smaller carriers lease capacity from the big three and pass the savings on. The catch is usually subtle — your data might be deprioritized when a tower gets busy, or you'll give up some extras like free streaming or international roaming. For a lot of people that trade is well worth it. Our guide on digs into the details if you're weighing a switch.

eSIM in the United States

All three national networks support eSIM, as do most of the larger MVNOs. If you're buying a recent iPhone in the US, it's eSIM-only, with no physical SIM tray at all, so eSIM support has gone from a nice-to-have to the default. Each carrier page notes whether eSIM is available and how activation works.