About TruConnect’s Services
TruConnect Mobile is an American wireless company and Lifeline and ACP provider that offers free phone and wireless internet services to its low-income customers. Through the government-funded Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program, the company offers free monthly services with unlimited talk, unlimited text, international calling to select countries, and up to 14 GB of monthly data, as well as a free Android phone or Wi-Fi hotspot. In addition to these amazing benefits, TruConnect’s customers can also enjoy the company’s reliable nationwide network.
TruConnect’s free Lifeline and ACP services and devices are only available to customers with a low income and households that participate in any other government assistance program, such as Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, certain Tribal programs, etc.
Does TruConnect Have Its Own Network?
TruConnect is a so-called mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). As such, it does not have its own network towers and infrastructure but uses another larger carrier’s network instead.
MVNOs, such as TruConnect, have this huge advantage that they do not have to worry about the network, the tower, infrastructure maintenance, or anything similar. However, on the other hand, MVNOs also have very little control over the network and are unable to help customers if they experience poor signal strength. Moreover, the network towers always have a natural advantage over their MVNOs, which may result in higher network speeds and stronger signals for the original carrier’s customers and lower data speeds and patchy coverage for MVNOs’ customers, especially during times of congestion.
What Network Does TruConnect Use?
Now that we know that TruConnect does not have its own network, let’s find out which larger carrier’s network the company uses.
TruConnect uses T-Mobile’s nationwide network. TruConnect’s customers can access T-Mobile’s reliable network and enjoy the carrier’s high-speed data and strong signals throughout the country completely free of charge.
Is TruConnect’s Network Reliable?
Considering the fact that TruConnect runs on T-Mobile’s nationwide network and that T-Mobile is one of the largest three carriers in the country, it is safe to conclude that TruConnect’s network is very reliable.
T-Mobile is a nationwide carrier with the third-largest 4G coverage and the single-largest 5G coverage in the country. Its network reaches approximately 99% of the entire U.S. population and covers most of the country’s territory. T-Mobile’s network is strong and reliable and unlikely to ever let its customers down. All of T-Mobile’s MVNOs, including TruConnect, have the privilege to enjoy the network’s huge coverage and unparalleled speeds. As TruConnect is a Lifeline and ACP provider, its customers can enjoy these benefits completely free of charge.
However, as we have mentioned before, during times of congestion, T-Mobile will prioritize its own customers, which may result in lower speeds and uneven signals for TruConnect’s customers.
Moreover, when assessing a network’s strength and reliability, it is also important to mention that the coverage also depends on factors such as tower distribution (T-Mobile’s towers are unevenly distributed, covering all larger urban areas and lagging behind in rural settings), terrain and physical obstructions between the network tower and the user, the weather, the direction of the wind, electrical, and radio frequency interference.
TruConnect’s Coverage Area
TruConnect’s coverage area equals T-Mobile’s nationwide coverage area. It is available in all U.S. states and the more populated an area, the more likely the signal is strong.
You can check out TruConnect’s nationwide coverage at its online coverage map at truconnect.com/wireless/coverage/map. Before you decide to enroll in TruConnect’s free program, make sure to check if the company’s coverage is available in your area. You can type in your home and work address in the provided search box and check out all the other places where you tend to spend a lot of time. Make sure that TruConnect’s network is available in all your favorite places, thus ensuring it will never let you down.
What Other Carriers Use the Same Network
In addition to offering free Android phones to eligible customers, TruConnect also allows customers to bring their own devices to the company’s services. However, these devices must be carrier-unlocked and compatible with TruConnect’s services. As the phones acquired from carriers that use the same network (T-Mobile’s network) are most likely to work well with TruConnect’s services, it may be useful to know which exactly are the carriers that use the same network as TruConnect.
First of all, the carrier that definitely uses the same network is T-Mobile. In addition, all of T-Mobile’s other MVNOs also use the same network as TruConnect. These MVNOs include:
- Metro by T-Mobile (uses T-Mobile only)
- Mint Mobile (T-Mobile)
- Simple Mobile (T-Mobile)
- Ultra Mobile (T-Mobile)
- Gen Mobile (T-Mobile, Sprint)
- Ting (T-Mobile, Sprint)
- TextNow (T-Mobile, Sprint)
- Consumer Cellular (uses AT&T, T-Mobile)
- Net10 (T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, U.S. Cellular)
- Google Fi (Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Three)
- Red Pocket (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T)
- Republic Wireless (Sprint, T-Mobile)
- Straight Talk (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T)
- TracFone (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T)
- US Mobile (T-Mobile, Verizon)
- Wing (T-Mobile, AT&T)
How Does TruConnect’s Network Compare to Other Carriers’?
There are three main carriers in the country – T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. Most other wireless companies use their services and networks. As such, in order to compare TruConnect’s T-Mobile network, we must compare T-Mobile’s network to the network of its competitors.
4G LTE Coverage
- Verizon has the largest 4G coverage, covering over 70% of the country’s territory.
- AT&T has the second-largest 4G coverage, covering approximately 68% of the land.
- T-Mobile has the third-largest 4G coverage that covers around 63% of the country.
5G Coverage
- When it comes to the 5G network, the order is reversed. T-Mobile and its MVNOs enjoy the largest 5G coverage, covering over 41% of the territory.
- AT&T has the second-largest 5G network, covering 18% of the territory.
- Verizon has the third-largest 5G coverage, covering approximately 13% of the land.
T-Mobile’s MVNOs, including TruConnect, can access the third-largest 4G network and the single-largest (by far) 5G network, which is a huge advantage.