Which US airport offers you the best wireless service? - CNET

If you're facing a long layover and a phone is your only companion, you'll want to aim to fly into these airports.

Southwest Florida Inteational in Fort Myers, Florida, and Sacramento Inteational in Sacramento, Califoia, topped the list for best wireless coverage among the top 50 busiest airports, according to a study conducted by testing firm RootMetrics.

Though smaller airports fared better, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Inteational came in third.

As the battle for your wireless business heats up, having a reputation for superior coverage is more important than ever. These carriers lean on third-party firms like RootMetrics to weigh in on the speed and reliability of their networks. A look at airports is critical because of the number of road warriors and power users who spend their downtime stuck in a terminal waiting for the next flight.

Even if you're not flying through those airports, you may have a good chance of decent coverage with Verizon, which was either first or tied for first in half of the 50 airports tested, according to RootMetrics. T-Mobile came in second with 16, just 1 more than rival AT&T. Sprint performed best in 3 of the airports.