If my cell phone can receive a signal, will the pocket wifi as well?

Not necessarily – cell phones use different networks than pocket wifi, which means that the two are not connecting to the same signal. This is because the pocket wifi connects to data networks; e.g. 2G, 3G, LTE, and 4G. On the other hand, cell phones connect to cellular networks.

Since cellular networks have been around a lot longer than data networks, coverage is better because there’s more infrastructure in place (i.e. cell towers), especially in rural areas. For this reason, you might be able to make calls in a rural area but still won’t be able to access the internet.