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RF Bands — Compact Reference
30-second intuitionRF engineers use several overlapping naming systems. 3GPP bands such as n77 or LTE Band 3 define a radio service with exact uplink/downlink ranges. IEEE letter bands such as L, S, C, X, Ku and Ka describe broad microwave frequency regions. Wi-Fi, GNSS and satellite bands are service allocations inside those broader regions. Always ask: “Is this a 3GPP operating band, a radar/microwave letter band, or a service allocation?”
For practical stimulus and measurement of these bands, see Modern Signal Generator for calibrated RF generation and Spectrum Analyzer Signal Processing for swept/real-time analysis and FFT/RBW processing.
1. The spectrum map to remember
| Frequency | Name / region | What to associate with it |
|---|---|---|
| 3–30 MHz | HF | ionosphere, shortwave, OTH radar |
| 30–300 MHz | VHF | FM, aviation, land mobile |
| 300 MHz–1 GHz | UHF | cellular low band, TV, 433/868/915 MHz |
| 1–2 GHz | L-band | GNSS, cellular, telemetry, radar |
| 2–4 GHz | S-band | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, n41, radar, space TT&C |
| 4–8 GHz | C-band | 5/6 GHz Wi-Fi, satellite, mid-band RF |
| 8–12 GHz | X-band | radar, remote sensing, deep-space links |
| 12–18 GHz | Ku-band | satellite TV/VSAT, satcom |
| 18–27 GHz | K-band | radar/sensing; atmospheric absorption near 22 GHz |
| 26.5–40 GHz | Ka-band | satellite broadband, deep space, 5G FR2 |
| 40–75 GHz | V-band | mmWave links; 60 GHz systems |
| 75–110 GHz | W-band | radar, imaging, high-frequency sensing |
| 30–300 GHz | millimeter wave | broad mmWave region |
The L/S/C/X/Ku/K/Ka/V/W definitions above follow the IEEE radar-frequency letter-band convention. See IEEE 521.
2. 5G NR frequency ranges
The first distinction to remember is:
| NR frequency range | Approximate range | What to associate |
|---|---|---|
| FR1 | 410 MHz–7.125 GHz | sub-7-GHz cellular |
| FR2-1 | 24.25–52.6 GHz | conventional 5G mmWave |
| FR2-2 | 52.6–71 GHz | upper-mmWave NR |
For exact current operating-band tables, use:
- 3GPP TS 38.101-1 — NR UE Range-1 RF
- 3GPP TS 38.101-2 — NR UE Range-2 RF
- 3GPP TS 38.104 — NR base-station RF
3. NR bands worth recognizing immediately
This is not every NR band. It is the compact set you are most likely to encounter in RF, validation, conformance, and system discussions.
FR1
| NR band | UL / DL or TDD range | Common association |
|---|---|---|
| n1 | UL 1920–1980 / DL 2110–2170 MHz | 2100 MHz |
| n2 | UL 1850–1910 / DL 1930–1990 MHz | PCS 1900 |
| n3 | UL 1710–1785 / DL 1805–1880 MHz | 1800 MHz |
| n5 | UL 824–849 / DL 869–894 MHz | 850 MHz |
| n7 | UL 2500–2570 / DL 2620–2690 MHz | 2600 MHz |
| n8 | UL 880–915 / DL 925–960 MHz | 900 MHz |
| n12 | UL 699–716 / DL 729–746 MHz | US 700 MHz |
| n13 | UL 777–787 / DL 746–756 MHz | US 700 MHz |
| n14 | UL 788–798 / DL 758–768 MHz | FirstNet / public safety |
| n20 | UL 832–862 / DL 791–821 MHz | European 800 MHz |
| n25 | UL 1850–1915 / DL 1930–1995 MHz | extended PCS |
| n26 | UL 814–849 / DL 859–894 MHz | extended 850 |
| n28 | UL 703–748 / DL 758–803 MHz | global 700 MHz |
| n30 | UL 2305–2315 / DL 2350–2360 MHz | WCS |
| n38 | 2570–2620 MHz TDD | 2.6 GHz TDD |
| n40 | 2300–2400 MHz TDD | 2.3 GHz TDD |
| n41 | 2496–2690 MHz TDD | major US/Asia mid-band |
| n48 | 3550–3700 MHz TDD | CBRS |
| n66 | UL 1710–1780 / DL 2110–2200 MHz | AWS |
| n70 | UL 1695–1710 / DL 1995–2020 MHz | AWS-related |
| n71 | UL 663–698 / DL 617–652 MHz | US 600 MHz |
| n77 | 3300–4200 MHz TDD | broad 3.3–4.2 GHz 5G |
| n78 | 3300–3800 MHz TDD | global 3.5 GHz 5G |
| n79 | 4400–5000 MHz TDD | 4.5 GHz 5G |
FR2
| NR band | Frequency range | Common association |
|---|---|---|
| n258 | 24.25–27.5 GHz | 26 GHz |
| n257 | 26.5–29.5 GHz | 28 GHz-class |
| n261 | 27.5–28.35 GHz | US 28 GHz |
| n260 | 37–40 GHz | US 39 GHz |
| n262 | 47.2–48.2 GHz | 47 GHz |
| n263 | 57–71 GHz | upper-mmWave / 60 GHz region |
RF-test shortcutFor US device work, the bands that repeatedly appear are n2, n5, n12, n14, n25, n26, n30, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n77, n260 and n261. For global work add n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n78 and n79.
4. LTE bands worth recognizing
Many LTE and NR bands occupy closely related spectrum.
For exact LTE operating-band definitions use 3GPP TS 36.101.
| LTE band | UL / DL or TDD | Association |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | 1920–1980 / 2110–2170 MHz | 2100 MHz |
| B2 | 1850–1910 / 1930–1990 MHz | PCS |
| B3 | 1710–1785 / 1805–1880 MHz | 1800 MHz |
| B4 | 1710–1755 / 2110–2155 MHz | AWS-1 |
| B5 | 824–849 / 869–894 MHz | 850 MHz |
| B7 | 2500–2570 / 2620–2690 MHz | 2600 MHz |
| B8 | 880–915 / 925–960 MHz | 900 MHz |
| B12 | 699–716 / 729–746 MHz | US 700 MHz |
| B13 | 777–787 / 746–756 MHz | US 700 MHz |
| B14 | 788–798 / 758–768 MHz | FirstNet |
| B20 | 832–862 / 791–821 MHz | European 800 MHz |
| B25 | 1850–1915 / 1930–1995 MHz | extended PCS |
| B26 | 814–849 / 859–894 MHz | extended 850 |
| B28 | 703–748 / 758–803 MHz | global 700 MHz |
| B30 | 2305–2315 / 2350–2360 MHz | WCS |
| B38 | 2570–2620 MHz TDD | 2.6 GHz TDD |
| B40 | 2300–2400 MHz TDD | 2.3 GHz TDD |
| B41 | 2496–2690 MHz TDD | 2.5 GHz |
| B46 | 5150–5925 MHz TDD | unlicensed LTE |
| B48 | 3550–3700 MHz TDD | CBRS |
| B66 | 1710–1780 / 2110–2200 MHz | extended AWS |
| B71 | 663–698 / 617–652 MHz | US 600 MHz |
LTE ↔ NR memory rule
Examples:
\[B2\leftrightarrow n2, \qquad B5\leftrightarrow n5, \qquad B41\leftrightarrow n41, \qquad B66\leftrightarrow n66, \qquad B71\leftrightarrow n71.\]The numbering often—but not universally—carries over.
5. GSM bands
For GSM/EDGE RF requirements, see 3GPP TS 45.005.
These four are the ones to remember:
| GSM band | Uplink | Downlink | Common name |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM 850 | 824–849 MHz | 869–894 MHz | Americas |
| E-GSM 900 | 880–915 MHz | 925–960 MHz | Europe/global |
| DCS 1800 | 1710–1785 MHz | 1805–1880 MHz | GSM 1800 |
| PCS 1900 | 1850–1910 MHz | 1930–1990 MHz | North America |
A useful historical progression is
\[\boxed{ GSM \rightarrow LTE \rightarrow NR }\]while much of the underlying spectrum was refarmed and reused.
6. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and common unlicensed bands
| Band | Frequency | Associate with |
|---|---|---|
| 433 MHz ISM | ~433.05–434.79 MHz | remote controls, sensors |
| 868 MHz SRD | Europe ~863–870 MHz | IoT / low-power |
| 902–928 MHz ISM | US | ISM, RFID, LoRa |
| 2.4 GHz ISM | 2400–2483.5 MHz | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee |
| 5 GHz WLAN | multiple sub-bands ~5.15–5.895 GHz | Wi-Fi 5/6 |
| 6 GHz WLAN | 5.925–7.125 GHz in the US | Wi-Fi 6E/7 |
| 60 GHz | roughly 57–71 GHz ecosystem | WiGig / short-range mmWave |
Exact unlicensed allocations vary by country.
7. GNSS frequencies to recognize
GNSS is primarily an L-band application.
| Signal | Center frequency | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| GPS L1 | 1575.42 MHz | main civil GPS band |
| GPS L2 | 1227.60 MHz | precision / dual-frequency |
| GPS L5 | 1176.45 MHz | safety-of-life / modern civil |
| Galileo E1 | 1575.42 MHz | overlaps GPS L1 region |
| Galileo E5a | 1176.45 MHz | overlaps GPS L5 region |
8. Microwave letter bands and applications
The broad microwave names are not cellular band numbers.
| Letter band | IEEE range | Typical associations |
|---|---|---|
| L | 1–2 GHz | GNSS, surveillance radar, satcom |
| S | 2–4 GHz | radar, 2.4 GHz ISM, telemetry, TT&C |
| C | 4–8 GHz | satellite, radar, 5/6 GHz WLAN |
| X | 8–12 GHz | defense radar, SAR, deep-space comm |
| Ku | 12–18 GHz | satellite TV, VSAT, satcom |
| K | 18–27 GHz | radar; 24 GHz sensing |
| Ka | 26.5–40 GHz | high-throughput satcom, deep space, NR FR2 |
| V | 40–75 GHz | 60 GHz links |
| W | 75–110 GHz | radar, imaging |
Reference: IEEE 521-2026.
9. Space / satellite associations
For space systems, memorize the associations rather than one universal allocation:
| Band | Think |
|---|---|
| L-band | navigation, mobile satcom |
| S-band | spacecraft TT&C, telemetry, near-Earth links |
| X-band | radar, Earth observation, deep-space communications |
| Ku-band | commercial satellite links, VSAT |
| Ka-band | high-data-rate satcom and deep-space links |
Exact uplink/downlink allocations depend on the service and regulatory allocation.
See Artemis Lunar Communications and Microwave & Space Electronics Components.
10. Quick frequency-to-name lookup
| If you hear… | Think… |
|---|---|
| 600–900 MHz | cellular low band / UHF |
| 1.2–1.6 GHz | L-band / GNSS |
| 1.7–2.2 GHz | PCS/AWS/LTE/NR; upper L/lower S context |
| 2.4 GHz | Wi-Fi/Bluetooth + S-band |
| 2.5–2.7 GHz | LTE B41 / NR n41; S-band |
| 3.3–4.2 GHz | NR n77/n78; mid-band 5G |
| 3.55–3.7 GHz | CBRS / B48 / n48 |
| 5–7 GHz | WLAN / C-band region |
| 8–12 GHz | X-band |
| 12–18 GHz | Ku-band |
| 24–30 GHz | K/Ka boundary + NR FR2 |
| 26.5–40 GHz | Ka-band |
| 37–40 GHz | NR n260 |
| 57–71 GHz | 60-GHz ecosystem / V-band / NR n263 |
| 75–110 GHz | W-band |
11. The three naming systems
Keep these separate:
3GPP operating band
Example:
\[n77=3300\text{–}4200\ \mathrm{MHz}.\]Defines an actual NR radio operating band.
IEEE microwave letter band
Example:
\[S=2\text{–}4\ \mathrm{GHz}.\]Defines a broad radar/microwave frequency region.
Service allocation
Example:
\[\text{Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz}.\]Defines spectrum used by a specific radio service.
These overlap physically but mean different things.
12. Minimal memory set
If you want the smallest useful set:
Cellular
\[\boxed{ 600/700/800/850/900 \rightarrow 1.7/1.8/1.9/2.1 \rightarrow 2.3/2.5/2.6 \rightarrow 3.5/3.7 \rightarrow 28/39\ \mathrm{GHz} }\]Microwave
\[\boxed{ L:1\text{–}2, S:2\text{–}4, C:4\text{–}8, X:8\text{–}12, Ku:12\text{–}18, K:18\text{–}27, Ka:26.5\text{–}40 }\]in GHz.
GSM
\[\boxed{ 850,\ 900,\ 1800,\ 1900\ \mathrm{MHz}. }\]That compact map covers a surprisingly large fraction of RF conversations.
13. Official references
- 3GPP TS 38.101-1 — NR UE Range-1 RF
- 3GPP TS 38.101-2 — NR UE Range-2 RF
- 3GPP TS 38.104 — NR BS RF
- 3GPP TS 36.101 — LTE UE RF
- 3GPP TS 45.005 — GSM/EDGE RF
- IEEE 521-2026 — radar-frequency letter designations
Related: 3GPP Standards · RF & Microwave · Wireless & MIMO · Artemis Lunar Communications · Microwave & Space Electronics Components