New York eSIM
In New York you connect to T-Mobile or AT&T, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The median across the country is 64 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- T-Mobile and AT&T
- Real speed in United States
- 64 Mbps median, 11 Mbps for the slowest tenth5,118 travellers across United States, rolling 90 days
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover New York
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $6.89 | $6.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $3.30 | $9.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.58 | $12.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.99 | $19.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.64 | $32.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.52 | $75.89 |
How United States compares across North America
- Speed rank
- 1 of 10 destinations we have measured in North America
- Regional median
- 33 Mbps
- Consistency
- The slowest tenth still reaches 17 percent of the median
- Upstream networks
- 2, T-Mobile, AT&T
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next slowest nearby
- Canada, 58 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 6: New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago
- tenth percentile
- 11 Mbps
- Behind these figures
- 5118 travellers, rolling 90 days
Landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Airport
- JFK / KJFK
- Distance
- 26 km from the centre of New York
- Wifi on arrival
- Free wifi in the terminalFree wi-fi at JFK; select "_Free JFK WiFi" from the list of networks. Support is provided by Boingo, 24/7.
- Also serves
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Getting into New York
- AirTrain JFK to Jamaica and Howard Beach stations (JFK)
- NYC Subway via AirTrain: E, J and Z at Jamaica; A at Howard Beach (JFK)
- Q70 LaGuardia Link (free) to 74 St-Broadway / Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av subway station (LGA), about 10 minutes
- AirTrain Newark monorail to Newark Liberty International Airport Station (currently being replaced; construction began October 2025) (EWR)
- NJ Transit Northeast Corridor / North Jersey Coast Line and Amtrak from Newark Liberty International Airport Station to Newark Penn and New York Penn (EWR)
Underground and on the metro
New York City Subway runs 36 lines. It opened in 1904. The operator states mobile coverage in parts of the network only.
Worth knowing about New York
- Every one of the subway's 281 underground stations has cellular and Wi-Fi service through Transit Wireless, but coverage in the tunnels between stations is still being built out under a plan covering all 418 track miles of tunnel.
- Tunnel cellular coverage so far is limited to specific segments: the 42 St Shuttle tunnel and the Canarsie (L) tunnel first, with AT&T and Boldyn Networks adding 4/5 and G line tunnel segments in 2026.
- JFK has no direct subway station: you must ride AirTrain JFK to Jamaica for the E, J and Z trains and the LIRR, or to Howard Beach for the A train.
- The Q70 LaGuardia Link bus from LGA Terminals B and C is free and reaches the 74 St-Broadway / Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av subway station in about 10 minutes.
- AirTrain Newark is being fully replaced: construction began in October 2025 with passenger service on the new system expected in 2030, and NJ Transit has posted advisories replacing AirTrain with shuttle buses at Newark Liberty International Airport Station during construction.
- AirTrain JFK is free between terminals, taking under 10 minutes with trains every 5 to 15 minutes. The $8.75 fare is charged only when entering or leaving at Jamaica or Howard Beach, and children under five ride free.
- The AirTrain fare is paid by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or an OMNY card. OMNY cards are sold for cash or card at vending machines in the Jamaica and Howard Beach subway stations, and OMNY works on every subway and bus.
- One card can pay AirTrain fares for a group if everyone taps within five minutes, after which that card locks for 15 minutes. Paid AirTrain fares cap at $43.50 over a rolling 30 days when the same card or phone is used each time.
- At JFK, hotel shuttles and all rental car counters are reached at the AirTrain's Federal Circle station, served by both the Jamaica and Howard Beach branches.
- LinkNYC kiosks, which replaced pay phones across all five boroughs, offer free Wi-Fi, free calls anywhere in the US, device charging and a 911 button, paid for by advertising on their screens.
- To use a Link, pick the open LinkNYC Free Wi-Fi network and register with an email address. After that first sign-in, supported devices can switch to LinkNYC Private, which encrypts all traffic between the phone and the kiosk.
Sources for this page
Other cities in United States we cover
- Chicago
- 1146 km from New York, nearest airport MDW
- Miami
- 1757 km from New York, nearest airport MIA
- Las Vegas
- 3584 km from New York, nearest airport LAS
- Los Angeles
- 3936 km from New York, nearest airport HHR
- San Francisco
- 4129 km from New York, nearest airport SFO