Mobile Phone Technology

5g Frequency Bands

Different frequencies used in 5G

image ©nokia


Three types of frequency are used (or are about to be used) for delivering 5G in the UK: low, mid and high bands. Each type has its own characteristics, which are defined by a basic physics equation.

c = f λ
(speed of light) = (frequency) * (wavelength)

This means that the higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength. These shorter wavelengths travel shorter distances and do not penetrate buildings. However, the associated higher frequencies can deliver more data capacity. Therefore, the different frequencies are used for different purposes.

Low Band Waves: In 5G terms, low band waves are the 700 MHz waves. These waves provide coverage over large geographic areas, with around 3.5 km of coverage from each mast. They have similar qualities to the 800 MHz or 900 MHz waves used in 4G and 2G networks. The 700 MHz waves provide background coverage, but they are neither super-fast nor capable of delivering the 5G demand in highly populated areas.

Mid Band Waves : Mid band waves are designed to increase capacity in towns and cities where demand is high. In 5G, these frequencies range from 3.4GHz to 3.8GHz. These waves can typically travel up to 1 km from the mast and deliver five times the capacity of low-band waves.

High Band Waves : [In the UK licenses for these waves will only be release in early 2026]. These are the so-called mmWaves in the 26 GHz range. The downside is that they will only be able to travel 100–200 metres, but they will have 15–30 times the capacity of low-band waves. This means that these waves will be used for very specific applications. They will be used in sports arenas, shopping malls, etc., where there is a very high customer density, as well as in novel applications requiring high data throughput. They will also be used in industrial applications.

5G Spectrum Bands.
low band mid band high band Also Use
EE 700 3.4GHz, 3.6GHz - 1800Mhz, 2100MHz, 2600Mhz
O2 700MHz 3.4GHz, 3.6GHz. - 1800MHz 2100MHz
Three 700MHz 3.4GHz, 3.6GHz. - 15000MHz
Vodafone 900MHz 3.4GHz, 3.6GHz. - 2100MHz

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