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Cellular Frequency Bands Explained

Our mobile devices depend on radio frequencies (RF) to connect to a mobile network. RF signals allow united states of america to make calls, send text messages, stream videos, and scan the web without needing to be connected to a WiFi network.

Knowing how radio frequencies work and which frequencies are used past specific cell telephone providers tin help you switch carriers and purchase a device that is uniform with your network, likewise as help figure out which networks and bandwidths all-time serve your area.

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What are Cellular Frequency Bands?

Cellular carriers lease out multiple frequencies from the government airwaves to grant users access to their network. Phones and other mobile devices utilize specific frequencies to communicate with the carrier's cell towers.

A frequency is the number of sound waves occurring per second. They are ordinarily measured in Hertz (Hz). A college frequency means that the audio waves move a lot faster, and vice versa. All cellular frequencies fall under the RF spectrum, which ranges from 3 kHz to 300 GHz.

In the U.s., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Assistants (NTIA) are in accuse of the RF spectrum allocation. They divide the RF spectrum into multiple ranges of frequencies, known as bands. Inside the RF spectrum, the cellular bands are roughly located betwixt 600 MHz and 39 GHz.

Proceed in mind: frequency bands stand for a range of frequencies, not a single cellular frequency. For example, the 700 MHz frequency band ranges from 699 MHz to 798 MHz.

Why do Cellular Carriers have Multiple Frequencies?

Cellular carriers need licenses from the FCC to use a given cellular bands. Commonly, 1 license inside a big band only gives the carrier exclusive rights to a small department of the ring, besides known as a block or aqueduct. As nosotros'll discuss later, many carriers utilise similar bands for their networks, but they operate on different blocks of that ring to avoid interfering with each other. Smaller bands, on the other hand, are non made up of multiple blocks and are unremarkably exclusive to one carrier.

The blocks carriers buy are located on unlike sections of the RF spectrum that have been specifically allocated for cellular use. They can consist of high or low frequencies. Lower frequencies have the ability to travel further and penetrate obstacles, such as trees, hills, and buildings amend, making them swell for rural and remote areas. On the other hand, higher frequencies tin't travel as far or penetrate obstacles too as lower frequencies, merely they can transmit data at a faster charge per unit. Therefore, they are better for highly populated urban areas.

To provide their customers with the most reliable cellular network, cellular carriers accept to buy multiple FCC licenses throughout the RF spectrum.

How do Cellular Frequency Bands Work?

To access a carrier's frequency bands, your mobile device must beginning be activated on the carrier'southward network. Each carrier owns a range of frequencies to let its customers to transmit information through their unique network. The cell phone and the cell towers can simply communicate with each other through those frequency bands.

The way the signal is transmitted differs between bands.

Nearly bands are a set of 2 with a guard band in the center to foreclose them from interring with each other. I band is used to sends data to a cell belfry from a mobile device (known equally uplink), while the other is used to send data to a cell phone from a cell tower (known as downlink). This form of cellular transition is called Frequency Division Duplex (FDD). The separation of the bands allows data to be sent and received simultaneously. The devices using FDD bands experience fast voice and data transmissions.

Other bands use Fourth dimension Division Duplex (TDD) bands to transmit data. TDD bands apply a single band for uplink and downlink transmissions. Even though the transition between uplink to downlink transmissions is relatively fast and near people don't notice the latency, it can still hinder the performance of the cellular network.

A Short History of Frequency Bands

Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) was the showtime generation of cellular technology. Devices at the time used the 800 MHz band for voice transmission. As prison cell telephone usage increase, the band was no longer big enough to support all of the devices. To account for new technologies, the FCC opened the 1900 MHz band and named it the Personal Communications Service (PCS). For a while, AMPS and PCS were the simply cellular frequency bands in use.

Years passed, and smartphones debuted. Since they were no longer only used for calling and texting, they required a lot more bandwidth. The Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) ring, which is the 1700/2100 MHz band, was introduced to provide high-speed cellular information. Later the lower and upper 700 MHz bands opened up for licensing. These lower frequency bands made information technology possible for cellular carriers to transmit signals in remote and rural areas.

Every bit you've probably noticed, any fourth dimension cellular demand increases, more bandwidth is needed. With the arrival of 5G, the amount of IoT (cyberspace of things) devices utilizing the network will increase. To support this new technology and higher bandwidth demands, cellular carriers are expanding their frequency bands.

3G Frequencies & Popular 3G Technology Terms

3G: 3G (short for 3rd-generation) is a mobile telecommunications system used in prison cell phones that grew in popularity in the 2000s in North America. 3G handles talk, text, and basic mobile cyberspace.

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access): Adult by Qualcomm (an American tech visitor), CDMA grew in popularity in the 1990s and is the virtually popular mobile standard in North America and other select countries.

The states CDMA Wireless Network/Carriers:

Verizon, Sprint, The states Cellular, Boost Mobile, C Spire, Ting and Virgin Mobile.

GSM (Global Arrangement for Mobiles): Developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Found, GSM grew in popularity in the 1980s and in the post popular mobile standard around the world in over 219 countries.

USA GSM Wireless Network/Carriers:

AT&T, T-Mobile, MetroPCS.

Notation: CDMA and GSM phones are incompatible with each other!

4G Frequencies & Pop 4G Engineering science Terms

4G: 4G (brusk for fourth-generation) is a mobile telecommunications system used in cell phones that grew in popularity in the 2010s in Northward America. 4G devices are backward-compatible with 3G, meaning it can handle talk, text, and information-heavy fast internet.

WiMAX: WiMAX was one of the first 4G standards; nevertheless, popularity has shifted to LTE. Clear (endemic by Sprint Nextel) volition go on WiMAX support until the end of 2015 earlier switching to LTE.

LTE (Long Term Development): This is considered to be true 4G and a pop global mobile standard. Although LTE uses different frequencies and bands in different countries, a multi-band LTE-uniform phone will most likely work in different countries.

HSPA+ (Evolved High-Speed Packet Access): Considered 3.5G instead of true 4G, HSPA+ is capable of delivering 4G speeds.

U.s. HSPA+ Wireless Network/Carriers:

AT&T, T-Mobile Cincinnati Bong, etc.

Note: While 3G handles talk, text, and basic internet, 4G tin handle 3G duties and also do fast streaming internet for data-heavy services such as YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, Hulu, Netflix, Facebook, Google Chrome, Google Maps, iTunes, and other apps.

5G Frequencies & Popular 5G Engineering science Terms

5G: 5G (brusk for fifth-generation) is the newest telecommunication system. Cellular companies worldwide started deploying 5G ready devices in 2019. This new technology is anticipated to be 20x faster than 4G.

Millimeter-Wave: Millimeter waves lie in the super-high frequency section of the RF spectrum, which ranges from 30-300 GHz. These frequencies tin carry a huge amount of data at high speeds with fiddling latency.

Which Cellular Frequency Bands do Cellular Carriers Use?

The tables below evidence which bands and frequencies U.S carriers use.

5G and 4G LTE Frequency Bands

Carriers:	5G Bands and Frequencies:	4G LTE Bands and Frequencies:
AT&T	850 MHz: Ring n5 39GHz: Band n260	700 MHz: Bands 12/17/29 850 MHz: Band 5 1900 MHz: Band 2 1700 MHz /2100 MHz: Bands four/66 2300 MHz: Band 30
Verizon Wireless	28 GHz: Band n261 39 GHz: Ring n260	700 MHz: Band 13 850 MHz: Band v 1700/2100 MHz: Bands iv/66 1900 MHz: Band ii
T-Mobile	600 MHz: Band n71 ii.5 GHz: Band n41 39 GHz: Band n260 28 GHz: Band n261	600 MHz: Band 71 700 MHz: Band 12 850 MHz: Ring 5 1700/2100 MHz: Bands 4/66 1900 MHz: Ring 2
Dart	ii.5 GHz: Band n41	800 MHz: Ring 26 1900 MHz: Band 25 2500 MHz: Ring 41
U.S. Cellular	600 MHz: Band n71	700 MHz: Ring 12 850 MHz: Ring five 1700/2100: Band 4 1900: Band 2
Cricket Wireless	850 MHz: Band n5	700 MHz: Bands 17 1900 MHz: Band ii 1700 MHz /2100 MHz: Band 4 2300 MHz: Band thirty
Boost Mobile	2.5 GHz: Ring n41	800 MHz: Band 26 1900 MHz: Band 25 2500 MHz: Band 41
Metro by T-Mobile	600 MHz: Band n71	600 MHz: Band 71 700 MHz: Band 12 850 MHz: Band 5 1700/2100 MHz: Bands 4/66 1900 MHz: Band 2

3G Frequency Bands

Carriers:	Network:	3G Bands and Frequencies:
AT&T	GSM/UMTS/HSPA+	850 MHz: Band five 1900 MHz: Band 2
Verizon Wireless	CDMA	850 MHz: Band 0 1900 MHz: Band 1
T-Mobile	GSM/UMTS/HSPA+	1900 MHz: Band 2 1700/2100 MHz: Band 4
Sprint	CDMA	800 MHz: Band x 1900 MHz: Band 2
U.South. Cellular	CDMA	850 MHz: Band 5 1900 MHz: Band 2
Cricket Wireless	GSM/UMTS/HSPA+	850 MHz: Band v 1900 MHz: Ring 2
Boost Mobile	CDMA	800 MHz: Band 10 1900 MHz: Band 2
Metro by T-Mobile	GSM/UMTS/HSPA+	1900 MHz: Ring ii 1700/2100 MHz: Band 4

Why are Cellular Frequencies Important?

If you want to activate your cell phone with another carrier or buy an unlocked device that was non manufactured by your carrier, knowing the frequency ring the device supports can assist narrow downward your choices.

The device must exist compatible with the carrier's frequency bands and networks (3G, 4G LTE, and 5G). Ordinarily, a device won't piece of work if it'due south not compatible with a network. But, if it does piece of work and isn't completely uniform, you might feel connectivity issues because the device will have trouble accessing the carrier'due south cellular bands.

In add-on, if you invest in a jail cell phone signal booster to cure your poor cell bespeak, knowing the frequency band your phone and your carrier use will aid yous choose the best possible booster for you.

Will my Phone Work with Another Carriers Frequency Bands?

Cellular bands piece of work with dissimilar technologies, such as 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G networks. So, to make sure your device is compatible with another carrier, not only do they have to utilize a similar band, but they must likewise have uniform technologies.

Since the 4G LTE network is a global standard, about phones will not have compatibility problems switching between 4G LTE network bands. The compatibility issues lie on the 3G network.

Even though 3G has slowly been fading abroad, it's still an of import network to consider since it'south the network cell phones fall back on when 4G LTE is not available.

There are two cellular technologies used for 3G networks: CDMA (Lawmaking Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile) (Global System for Mobile). CDMA is predominantly used by Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular, while GSM is used by AT&T and T-Mobile. Both technologies apply dissimilar frequency bands. For that reason, most GSM devices are not uniform with the CDMA network, and vice versa. However, some CDMA devices can operate on a GSM network.

If yous wish to take your device to a different carrier, your device must exist compatible with the carrier's applied science and at to the lowest degree 1 of the carrier's bands. Of course, the more than bands your devices have in common with that carrier, the amend experience you lot will have on that carrier'south network.

For example, T-Mobile and AT&T use the aforementioned engineering, and many of the same bands. Therefore, there should not exist an consequence switching an unlocked T-Mobile telephone to AT&T'south network. On the other hand, Sprint and AT&T do not share a similar band nor engineering. So, if you were trying to switch an unlocked Dart phone to the AT&T network, the phone volition not work.

How to Check Which Frequency Bands your Phone Supports?

Finding the bands your mobile device supports can be slightly tricky because the information cannot be found in the settings of your phone nor on the packaging of the device.

The easiest fashion to determine which frequency bands your device supports is by cross-referencing the band your current provider uses with the other carrier's frequency bands. The chart above can assist yous in that, or you can contact your cellular service provider. You desire overlap between the two networks; the more than bands your device supports the better feel you will take.

You can visit wirelessadvisor.com to wait at the frequencies your cellular provider uses in your surface area. Just enter your zip code, and press search. A list of jail cell phone carriers in your expanse will announced. Each listing volition testify you the frequency bands your carrier back up in your area and the engineering they employ.

Almost devices support more bands than the ones a cellular carrier uses. To find all the bands, navigate to the website of the cellular provider the device was purchased from and search for your specific device. Under specs, yous will find a "Wireless Technology", "Frequency", or "Network" department, depending on the carrier. That section will prove you lot ALL of the bands and the technologies your device supports. Unfortunately, not every carrier's website provides this information.

If you are having problem locating the frequency bands your device supports, almost carriers offer free online tools to help you decide if your unlocked phone is compatible with their service.

Contact Us

Wilson Amplifiers is a leading provider of habitation, commercial, and vehicle indicate boosters, devices that amplify 4G & 3G LTE for whatever phone with any carrier. We've boosted over ten,000,000 sq ft of signal for homes, buildings, and vehicles across America and Canada.

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