Maps of Prepaid Cell Phone Coverage in the United States

I was buying a prepaid cell phone for a foreign friend who will be visiting me soon when I read the phone's box stating "97% of the population of the United States is in [the phone's] coverage zone."

This made me wonder: where are the gaps in coverage? Are there any differences between the leading phone companies prepaid cell phones?

Here are the coverage maps of the leading brands. The images are hyperlinked to interactive coverage maps by the company.

TracFone

Cricket Wireless

Verizon Prepaid

AT&T GoPhone

Boost Mobile Prepaid

Virgin Mobile Prepaid

The Eastern half of the United States is pretty well covered though there are gaps in the remote regions of the Appalachian Mountain range. The Interior West is the consistent loser with desert, some Indian reservations, and rural lands not being covered. Alaska is a big loser. Only in the southern populated part the only section of the state covered. The majority of the biggest state is not covered.

The Extras are the true losers, though. Many of the prepaid cell phone maps do not even have Alaska, Hawaii, or even Puerto Rico. Good luck knowing if your prepaid cell phone will work if you live in the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or any of the other Extras.