Frequency bands in smartphones: what is it?

When buying a smartphone, you will often find statements such as "Supports LTE frequency bands 3, 7 and 20" in the description. In mobile radio technology, different frequency ranges are used for different radio standards. In this article, we explain what the frequency bands of the smartphone are all about.

Frequency bands in smartphones

Frequency bands are actually frequency ranges characterized by a lower and an upper wavelength: the frequency.

• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have divided the entire frequency range from 3 Hz to 3 THz (3, 000, 000, 000 Hz) into frequency bands.
• Frequency band 9 includes, for example, the range from 300 MHz to 3 GHz.
• The individual tapes are in turn divided into tapes. For example, there are LTE bands.
• Three LTE bands are used in Germany. Band 3 with a frequency range around 1, 800 MHz, band 7 around 2, 600 MHz and band 20 around 800 MHz.
• Alternatively, the LTE bands are referred to as the 800 series or simply as the LTE 800, LTE 1, 800 and LTE 2, 600.
• Because other frequency bands are used for LTE technology in other countries, it is important which LTE frequency bands are supported by which smartphone.
• LTE 800 is only used in rural areas, LTE 1, 800 and 2, 600 are mainly used in cities.
• Telekom, Vodafone and O2 share the 800 band. Only the Telekom and Eplus use the 1, 800-band, all four German mobile phone providers use the 2, 600-band.
• Different frequency bands are also used for the mobile radio standards GSM (G), GPRS (2G), Edge (E) and UMTS (3G) in different countries, but less than with LTE. However, you may not be able to use a smartphone from the United States in Germany, for example. In Germany the so-called quad band is used.
• An example: The iPad 3 is equipped with an LTE antenna, but only supports the 700 and the 2, 100 LTE band. This means that you cannot use LTE with the iPad 3 in Germany.

In the next article we will show you how to activate all frequency bands on Android.