Cellular frequencies are the sets of frequency ranges within the
ultra high frequency
Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequency, radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one ten ...
band that have been
assigned for cellular-compatible
mobile devices
A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...
, such as
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s, to connect to
cellular networks.
Guowang Miao
Guowang Miao is an associate professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, working on design and optimization of wireless communications and networking and the author of ''Fundamentals of Mobile Data Networks'' and ''Energy and Spectrum ...
, Jens Zander, Ki Won Sung, and Ben Slimane, Fundamentals of Mobile Data Networks, Cambridge University Press, , 2016. Most mobile networks worldwide use portions of the
radio frequency spectrum
Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...
,
allocated to the
mobile service
Mobile service is – in line to ITU Radio Regulations – a radiocommunication service between mobile and land stations, or between mobile stations (CV).
Classification
In accordance with ''ITU Radio Regulations'' (article 1) variations of this ...
, for the transmission and reception of their signals. The particular bands may also be shared with other
radiocommunication service
Radio communication service or radiocommunication service is according to Article 1.19 of the International Telecommunication Union's Radio Regulations (ITU RR),ITU Radio Regulations, Section III – Radio services, Article 1.19, definition: Ra ...
s, e.g.
broadcasting service
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio sta ...
, and
fixed service
In telecommunications, a fixed service (or fixed radiocommunication service) is a radiocommunication service between specified fixed points.
Classification
The ITU Radio Regulations (article 1) classify variations of this radiocommunication serv ...
operation.
Overview
Radio frequencies used for cellular networks differ in
ITU Region
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in its International Radio Regulations, divides the world into three ITU regions for the purposes of managing the global radio spectrum. Each region has its own set of frequency allocations, the ma ...
s (Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia). The first commercial standard for mobile connection in the United States was
AMPS, which was in the 800 MHz frequency band. In Nordic countries of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, the first widespread automatic mobile network was based on the
NMT-450 standard, which was in the 450 MHz band. As mobile phones became more popular and affordable, mobile providers encountered a problem because they couldn't provide service to the increasing number of customers. They had to develop their existing networks and eventually introduce new standards, often based on other frequencies. Some European countries (and Japan) adopted
TACS
Total Access Communication System (TACS) and ETACS are variants of Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) which were announced as the choice for the first two UK national cellular systems in February 1983, less than a year after the UK government an ...
operating in 900 MHz. The
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...
standard, which appeared in Europe to replace NMT-450 and other standards, initially used the 900 MHz band too. As demand grew, carriers acquired licenses in the 1,800 MHz band. (Generally speaking, lower frequencies allow carriers to provide coverage over a larger area, while higher frequencies allow carriers to provide service to more customers in a smaller area.)
In the U.S., the analog AMPS standard that used the cellular band (800 MHz) was replaced by a number of digital systems. Initially, systems based upon the AMPS mobile phone model were popular, including
IS-95
Interim Standard 95 (IS-95) was the first ever CDMA-based digital cellular technology. It was developed by Qualcomm and later adopted as a standard by the Telecommunications Industry Association in TIA/EIA/IS-95 release published in 1995. The ...
(often known as "
CDMA
Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...
", the
air interface
The air interface, or access mode, is the communication link between the two stations in mobile or wireless communication. The air interface involves both the physical and data link layers (layer 1 and 2) of the OSI model for a connection.
Physi ...
technology it uses) and
IS-136
IS-54 and IS-136 are second-generation ( 2G) mobile phone systems, known as Digital AMPS (D-AMPS), and a further development of the North American 1G mobile system Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS). It was once prevalent throughout the America ...
(often known as D-AMPS, Digital AMPS, or "
TDMA", the air interface technology it uses). Eventually, IS-136 on these frequencies was replaced by most operators with GSM. GSM had already been running for some time on US
PCS (1,900 MHz) frequencies.
And, some NMT-450 analog networks have been replaced with digital networks using the same frequency. In Russia and some other countries, local carriers received licenses for 450 MHz frequency to provide CDMA mobile coverage area.
Many
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...
phones support three bands (900/1,800/1,900 MHz or 850/1,800/1,900 MHz) or four bands (850/900/1,800/1,900 MHz), and are usually referred to as
tri-band and quad-band phones, or
world phone
GSM frequency bands or frequency ranges are the cellular frequencies designated by the ITU for the operation of GSM mobile phones and other mobile devices.
Frequency bands
GSM frequency usage around the world
A dual-band 900/1800 device i ...
s; with such a phone one can travel internationally and use the same handset. This portability is not as extensive with IS-95 phones, however, as IS-95 networks do not exist in most of Europe.
Mobile networks based on different standards may use the same frequency range; for example, AMPS,
D-AMPS
IS-54 and IS-136 are second-generation ( 2G) mobile phone systems, known as Digital AMPS (D-AMPS), and a further development of the North American 1G mobile system Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS). It was once prevalent throughout the America ...
,
N-AMPS and IS-95 all use the 800 MHz frequency band. Moreover, one can find both AMPS and IS-95 networks in use on the same frequency in the same area that do not interfere with each other. This is achieved by the use of different channels to carry data. The actual frequency used by a particular phone can vary from place to place, depending on the settings of the carrier's base station.
See also
* Bands by technology:
**
GSM frequency bands
GSM frequency bands or frequency ranges are the cellular frequencies designated by the ITU for the operation of GSM mobile phones and other mobile devices.
Frequency bands
GSM frequency usage around the world
A dual-band 900/1800 device ...
**
UMTS frequency bands
The UMTS frequency bands are radio frequencies used by third generation (3G) wireless Universal Mobile Telecommunications System networks. They were allocated by delegates to the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-92) held in Málaga-To ...
**
LTE frequency bands
Long-Term Evolution (LTE) telecommunications networks use several frequency bands with associated bandwidths.
Frequency bands
From Tables 5.5-1 "E-UTRA Operating Bands" and 5.6.1-1 "E-UTRA Channel Bandwidth" of the latest published version of ...
**
5G NR frequency bands
**
CDMA frequency bands
CDMA frequency bands or frequency ranges are the cellular frequencies designated by the International Telecommunication Union, ITU for the operation of cdmaOne and CDMA2000 mobile phones and other mobile devices.
Frequency bands
From the latest ...
* Deployed networks by technology
**
List of 5G NR networks
This is a list of commercial 5G NR networks around the globe, showing their frequency bands.
__TOC__
Commercial deployments
Notes
#This list of network deployments does not imply widespread deployment or national coverage.
#The deployed bandw ...
**
List of LTE networks
This is a list of commercial Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks around the world, grouped by their frequency bands.
Some operators use multiple bands and are therefore listed multiple times in respective sections.
General information
* For t ...
**
List of UMTS networks
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
**
List of CDMA2000 networks
A list of CDMA2000 networks worldwide.
Active networks
Defunct networks
See also
* List of mobile network operators
For a more comprehensive list of mobile phone operators, see Mobile country codes.
Terrestrial
This is a l ...
**
List of WiMAX networks
The following is a list of WiMAX networks.
Standards
* IEEE 802.16 - called fixed WiMAX because of static connection without handover.
* IEEE 802.16e - called mobile WiMAX because it allows handovers between base stations.
* IEEE 802.16m - advan ...
*
Cellular frequencies in the United States
Cellular frequencies in the United States are allocated by the US Federal Communications Commission. As cellular mobile telephone technology has evolved over time, periodically bands of frequencies are reassigned from other radio services. Compani ...
*
List of mobile network operators
For a more comprehensive list of mobile phone operators, see Mobile country codes.
Terrestrial
This is a list of the world's thirty largest terrestrial mobile phone network operators measured by number of subscriptions.
Satellite based
Th ...
(summary)
*
Mobile country code
The ITU-T Recommendation E.212 defines mobile country codes (MCC) as well as mobile network codes (MNC).
Overview
The mobile country code consists of three decimal digits and the mobile network code consists of two or three decimal digits (for e ...
- code, frequency, and technology for each operator in each country
Other articles:
*
Roaming
*
Dual-band
In telecommunications, a multi-band device (including (2) dual-band, (3) tri-band, (4) quad-band and (5) penta-band devices) is a communication device (especially a mobile phone) that supports multiple radio frequency bands. All devices which ha ...
*
Tri-band
In telecommunications, a multi-band device (including (2) dual-band, (3) tri-band, (4) quad-band and (5) penta-band devices) is a communication device (especially a mobile phone) that supports multiple radio frequency bands. All devices which ...
*
Quad-band
In telecommunications, a multi-band device (including (2) dual-band, (3) tri-band, (4) quad-band and (5) penta-band devices) is a communication device (especially a mobile phone) that supports multiple radio frequency bands. All devices which ha ...
*
Microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...
References
External links
3GPP2 document on CDMA/CDMA2000 frequency bands
{{Mobile phones
Radio resource management