5G wireless communication technology— the “5th Generation” of cellular tech, following 4G/LTE —is currently being implemented worldwide. 5G can be easily confused with 5GHz Wi-Fi, but 5G is a new generational adoption of several different frequency bands, none of which are 5GHz.
This article identifies the three primary electromagnetic frequency bands that 5G cellular technology utilizes. It also explores the uses and new capabilities that each 5G frequency band enables.
What frequency is 5G?
5G cellular technology consists of three different frequency bands.
- Low-band Frequencies, which range from 600MHz to 1GHz
- Mid-band Frequencies, which range from 2.5GHz to 3.7GHz
- High-band Frequencies, which range from 24HGz to 40GHz
By comparison, 4G/LTE cellularly technology utilizes 700MHz to 900MHz and 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz frequency bands. Standard USA television broadcasting utilizes 54MHz to 88MHz, 174MHz to 216MHz, 470MHz to 608MHz, and 614MHz to 698MHz.
Note that different technologies may utilize frequency bands in different parts of the world. These frequency bands are defined by regulating organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the FCC in the United States, ETSI in Europe, MCIT in India, and many more for other countries and regions around the globe.
Visit our article What is 5G? to learn more about this technology.
Understanding 5G bands and technologies
5G Low-band Frequencies: 600MHz to 1GHz
These low-band frequencies excel at providing broad coverage across a large area, with a range of tens of kilometers, and are well-equipped to penetrate walls and buildings. 5G low-band frequencies are often used in rural or sparsely populated areas to provide stable and reliable network coverage for applications that do not require high internet speeds, such as voice calls and simple internet browsing.
5G Mid-band frequencies: 2.5GHz to 3.7GHz
5G mid-band frequencies offer higher internet speeds than low-band frequencies by nature of their higher frequency. However, given their shorter wavelength, these frequencies offer less range than low-band frequencies (limited to hundreds of meters) and are less capable of indoor penetration.
Mid-band frequencies are the most commonplace 5G frequencies. They can provide high-speed internet in urban and suburban areas and are appropriate for video streaming, smart city IoT devices, and other applications that require a balance of high-speed internet and ample coverage area.
5G FR2 Frequencies
5G High-band frequencies: 25GHz to 40GHz
High-band frequencies are the most revolutionary of the 5G frequency bands. Their utilization has required state-of-the-art mobile chipsets and capable of handling high frequencies and data transfer speeds. High-band frequencies are fundamentally new to the wireless telecom industry and have adopted an alternative name to common RF frequencies — ‘mmWave’ — given their wavelength between 4 and 12 millimeters.
High-band or mmWave 5G is capable of never-before-seen wireless data transfer speeds. That speed has unlocked a variety of benefits for wireless communications. These 5G frequency bands increase total network capacity, improve coverage, provide faster data speeds to users, and allow for more connected devices. High-band frequencies are used in densely populated areas like cities, arenas, stadiums, shopping malls, skyscrapers, and urban areas. These frequencies can provide low latency, ultra-high-speed internet that enables wireless applications like autonomous vehicles, edge computing, augmented and virtual reality, remote surgery, and much more.
Given their frequencies, high-band signals are highly susceptible to being blocked by trees, cars, humans, and buildings and have a short range (tens of meters). However, the telecom industry has fought to overcome the challenges of mmWave transmission by implementing new technologies like 5G beamforming and small cell technologies that enable high-band connectivity several hundred meters from a 5G base station.
5G technologies enable new connectivity and frequencies
5G technology operates in three frequency bands: low-band, mid-band, and high-band (synonymous with mmWave). Each frequency allows 5G technology to be utilized in various settings and locations, enabling a new era of wireless connectivity. 5G combines traditional RF bands (FR1) with new-radio bands (FR2) to provide applications with different balances between high data speeds, low latency, signal reliability, and connection to more devices than legacy telecom technologies.
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