A summary and tables of the LTE frequency band spectrum allocations for 3G & 4G LTE – TDD and FDD

There are a growing number of 4G LTE frequency bands that are being designated as possibilities for use with LTE. Many of the 4G LTE frequency bands are already in use for other cellular systems, whereas other LTE bands are new and being introduced as other users are re-allocated spectrum elsewhere.

FDD and TDD LTE frequency bands

FDD spectrum requires pair bands, one of the uplink and one for the downlink, and TDD requires a single band as uplink and downlink are on the same frequency but time separated. As a result, there are different LTE band allocations for TDD and FDD. In some cases these bands may overlap, and it is therefore feasible, although unlikely that both TDD and FDD transmissions could be present on a particular LTE frequency band.

Often a single UE or mobile device will need to detect whether a TDD or FDD transmission should be made on a given band. UEs that roam may encounter both types on the same band. They will therefore need to detect what type of transmission is being made on that particular LTE band in its current location.  Many chipsets used in modern devices can operate with either FDD or TDD, usually within specific frequency ranges.

The different 4G LTE frequency allocations or LTE frequency bands are allocated numbers. Currently the bands between 1 & 22 are for paired spectrum, i.e. FDD, and LTE bands between 33 & 41 are for unpaired spectrum, i.e. TDD.

Table data from Wikipedia: includes FDD and TDD modes:

E-UTRA Band	Duplex- Mode	ƒ (MHz)	Common name	Included in (subset of) Band	Uplink (UL) BS receive UE transmit (MHz)	Downlink (DL) BS transmit UE receive (MHz)	Duplex spacing (MHz)	Channel bandwidths (MHz)
01 !1	FDD	2100 !2100	IMT	65	1920 !1920 – 1980	2110 !2110 – 2170	190	5, 10, 15, 20
02 !2	FDD	1900 !1900	PCS blocks A-F	25	1850 !1850 – 1910	1930 !1930 – 1990	80	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
03 !3	FDD	1800 !1800	DCS		1710 !1710 – 1785	1805 !1805 – 1880	95	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
04 !4	FDD	1700 !1700	AWS blocks A-F (AWS-1)	66	1710 !1710 – 1755	2110 !2110 – 2155	400	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
05 !5	FDD	0850 !850	CLR	26	0824 !824 – 849	0869 !869 – 894	45	1.4, 3, 5, 10
07 !7	FDD	2600.3 !2600	IMT-E		2500 !2500 – 2570	2620 !2620 – 2690	120	5, 10, 15, 20
08 !8	FDD	0900 !900	E-GSM		0880 !880 – 915	0925 !925 – 960	45	1.4, 3, 5, 10
10 !10	FDD	1700 !1700	Extended AWS blocks A-I	66	1710 !1710 – 1770	2110 !2110 – 2170	400	5, 10, 15, 20
11 !11	FDD	1500 !1500	Lower PDC		1427 !1427.9 – 1447.9	1475 !1475.9 – 1495.9	48	5, 10
12 !12	FDD	0700.1 !700	Lower SMH blocks A/B/C		0699 !699 – 716	0729 !729 – 746	30	1.4, 3, 5, 10
13 !13	FDD	0700.4 !700	Upper SMH block C		0777 !777 – 787	0746 !746 – 756	−31	5, 10
14 !14	FDD	0700.5 !700	Upper SMH block D		0788 !788 – 798	0758 !758 – 768	−30	5, 10
17 !17	FDD	0700.2 !700	Lower SMH blocks B/C	12	0704 !704 – 716	0734 !734 – 746	30	5, 10
18 !18	FDD	0850 !850	Japan lower 800	26	0815 !815 – 830	0860 !860 – 875	45	5, 10, 15
19 !19	FDD	0850 !850	Japan upper 800	26	0830 !830 – 845	0875 !875 – 890	45	5, 10, 15
20 !20	FDD	0800 !800	EU Digital Dividend		0832 !832 – 862	0791 !791 – 821	−41	5, 10, 15, 20
21 !21	FDD	1500 !1500	Upper PDC		1447 !1447.9 – 1462.9	1495 !1495.9 – 1510.9	48	5, 10, 15
22 !22	FDD	3500 !3500			3410 !3410 – 3490	3510 !3510 – 3590	100	5, 10, 15, 20
24 !24	FDD	1600 !1600	L-Band (US)		1626 !1626.5 – 1660.5	1525 !1525 – 1559	−101.5	5, 10
25 !25	FDD	1900 !1900	Extended PCS blocks A-G		1850 !1850 – 1915	1930 !1930 – 1995	80	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
26 !26	FDD	0850 !850	Extended CLR		0814 !814 – 849	0859 !859 – 894	45	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15
27 !27	FDD	0800 !800	SMR (adjacent to band 5)		0807 !807 – 824	0852 !852 – 869	45	1.4, 3, 5, 10
28 !28	FDD	0700.6 !700	APT		0703 !703 – 748	0758 !758 – 803	55	3, 5, 10, 15, 20
29 !29	FDD[A 1]	0700.3 !700	Lower SMH blocks D/E		N/A	0717 !717 – 728	N/A	3, 5, 10
30 !30	FDD	2300 !2300	WCS blocks A/B		2305 !2305 – 2315	2350 !2350 – 2360	45	5, 10
31 !31	FDD	0450.1 !450			0452.5 !452.5 – 457.5	0462.5 !462.5 – 467.5	10	1.4, 3, 5
32 !32	FDD[A 1]	1500 !1500	L-Band (EU)		N/A	1452 !1452 – 1496	N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
33 !33	TDD	2100 !2100	IMT	39	1900 !1900 – 1920		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
34 !34	TDD	2100 !2100	IMT		2010 !2010 – 2025		N/A	5, 10, 15
35 !35	TDD	1900 !1900	PCS (Uplink)		1850 !1850 – 1910		N/A	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
36 !36	TDD	1900 !1900	PCS (Downlink)		1930 !1930 – 1990		N/A	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
37 !37	TDD	1900 !1900	PCS (Duplex spacing)		1910 !1910 – 1930		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
38 !38	TDD	2600 !2600	IMT-E (Duplex Spacing)	41	2570 !2570 – 2620		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
39 !39	TDD	1900 !1900	DCS-IMT gap		1880 !1880 – 1920		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
40 !40	TDD	2300 !2300			2300 !2300 – 2400		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
41 !41	TDD	2500 !2500	BRS / EBS		2496 !2496 – 2690		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
42 !42	TDD	3500 !3500			3400 !3400 – 3600		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
43 !43	TDD	3700 !3700			3600 !3600 – 3800		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
44 !44	TDD	0700.7 !700	APT		0703 !703 – 803		N/A	3, 5, 10, 15, 20
45 !45	TDD	1500 !1500	L-Band (China)		1447 !1447 – 1467		N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
46 !46	TDD	5200 !5200	U-NII		5150 !5150 – 5925		N/A
47 !47	TDD	5900 !5900	U-NII-4 (V2X)		5855 !5855 – 5925		N/A
48 !48	TDD	3600 !3600	CBRS		3550 !3550 – 3700		N/A
65 !65	FDD	2100 !2100	Extended IMT		1920 !1920 – 2010	2110 !2110 – 2200	190	5, 10, 15, 20
66 !66	FDD	1700 !1700	Extended AWS blocks A-J (AWS-1/AWS-3)		1710 !1710 – 1780	2155 !2110 – 2200[3]	400	1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
67 !67	FDD[A 1]	0700.8 !700	EU 700		N/A	0738 !738 – 758	N/A	5, 10, 15, 20
68 !68	FDD	0700.9 !700	ME 700		0698 !698 – 728	0753 !753 – 783	55	5, 10, 15
69 !69	FDD[A 1]	2600.69 !2600	IMT-E (Duplex spacing)		N/A	2570 !2570 – 2620	N/A	5
70 !70	FDD	2000.70 !2000	AWS-4		1695 !1695 – 1710	1995 !1995 – 2020	295 – 300[4]	5, 10, 15
71 !71	FDD	0600.0 !600	US Digital Dividend		0663 !663 – 698	0617 !617 – 652	−46	5, 10, 15, 20
72 !72	FDD	0450.0 !450	PMR/PAMR Europe		451 !451 – 456	461 !461 – 466	10	1.4, 3, 5
E-UTRA Band	Duplex- Mode	ƒ (MHz)	Common name	Included in (subset of) Band	Uplink (UL) BS receive UE transmit (MHz)	Downlink (DL) BS transmit UE receive (MHz)	Duplex spacing (MHz)	Channel bandwidths (MHz)

FDD LTE frequency band allocations

There is a large number of allocations or radio spectrum that has been reserved for FDD, frequency division duplex, LTE use.

The FDD LTE frequency bands are paired to allow simultaneous transmission on two frequencies. The bands also have a sufficient separation to enable the transmitted signals not to unduly impair the receiver performance. If the signals are too close then the receiver may be “blocked” and the sensitivity impaired. The separation must be sufficient to enable the roll-off of the antenna filtering to give sufficient attenuation of the transmitted signal within the receive band.  FDD LTE is popular for traditional cellular operators who already have established 2G and 3G services, where spectrum is traditionally “paired” as FDD.

FDD LTE BANDS & FREQUENCIES
LTE BAND NUMBER	UPLINK (MHZ)	DOWNLINK (MHZ)	WIDTH OF BAND (MHZ)	DUPLEX SPACING (MHZ)	BAND GAP (MHZ)
1	1920 – 1980	2110 – 2170	60	190	130
2	1850 – 1910	1930 – 1990	60	80	20
3	1710 – 1785	1805 -1880	75	95	20
4	1710 – 1755	2110 – 2155	45	400	355
5	824 – 849	869 – 894	25	45	20
6	830 – 840	875 – 885	10	35	25
7	2500 – 2570	2620 – 2690	70	120	50
8	880 – 915	925 – 960	35	45	10
9	1749.9 – 1784.9	1844.9 – 1879.9	35	95	60
10	1710 – 1770	2110 – 2170	60	400	340
11	1427.9 – 1452.9	1475.9 – 1500.9	20	48	28
12	698 – 716	728 – 746	18	30	12
13	777 – 787	746 – 756	10	–31	41
14	788 – 798	758 – 768	10	–30	40
15	1900 – 1920	2600 – 2620	20	700	680
16	2010 – 2025	2585 – 2600	15	575	560
17	704 – 716	734 – 746	12	30	18
18	815 – 830	860 – 875	15	45	30
19	830 – 845	875 – 890	15	45	30
20	832 – 862	791 – 821	30	–41	71
21	1447.9 – 1462.9	1495.5 – 1510.9	15	48	33
22	3410 – 3500	3510 – 3600	90	100	10
23	2000 – 2020	2180 – 2200	20	180	160
24	1625.5 – 1660.5	1525 – 1559	34	–101.5	135.5
25	1850 – 1915	1930 – 1995	65	80	15
26	814 – 849	859 – 894	30 / 40		10
27	807 – 824	852 – 869	17	45	28
28	703 – 748	758 – 803	45	55	10
29	n/a (DL only)	717 – 728	11	n/a
30	2305 – 2315	2350 – 2360	10	45	35
31	452.5 – 457.5	462.5 – 467.5	5	10	5
32	n/a (DL only)	1452-1496	44	n/a
65	1920-2110	2110-2200	90	190
66	1710-1780	2110-2200	90/70	400
67	n/a (DL only)	738-758	20	n/a
68	698-728	753-783	30	55
69	n/a (DL only)	2570-2620	50	n/a
70	1695-1710	1995-2020	25/15	300
252	n/a (DL only)   unlicensed	5150-5250 Note: “offload” use only	100	n/a
255	n/a (DL only)   unlicensed	5725-5850 Note: “offload” use only	125	n/a

TDD LTE frequency band allocations

With the interest in TDD LTE, there are several unpaired frequency allocations that are being prepared for LTE TDD use. The TDD LTE bands are unpaired because the uplink and downlink share the same frequency, being time multiplexed.  TDD LTE is popular in ISP and closed networks where there is either predominantly Data-centric use (rather than voice), no legacy of 2G/3G, or pressure on limited spectrum available.

TDD LTE BANDS & FREQUENCIES
LTE BAND NUMBER	ALLOCATION (MHZ)	WIDTH OF BAND (MHZ)
33	1900 – 1920	20
34	2010 – 2025	15
35	1850 – 1910	60
36	1930 – 1990	60
37	1910 – 1930	20
38	2570 – 2620	50
39	1880 – 1920	40
40	2300 – 2400	100
41	2496 – 2690	194
42	3400 – 3600	200
43	3600 – 3800	200
44	703 – 803	100
45	1447 – 1467	20
46	5150 – 5925 (unlicensed) Note: “offload” use only	775
47	5855 – 5925 (unlicensed) Note: “offload” use only	70
48	3550 – 3700	150

There are regular additions to the 4G LTE frequency bands / LTE spectrum allocations as a result of negotiations at the ITU regulatory meetings. These LTE allocations are resulting in part from the digital dividend, and also from the pressure caused by the ever growing need for mobile communications. Many of the new LTE spectrum allocations are relatively small, often 10 – 20MHz in bandwidth, and this is a cause for concern.

With LTE-Advanced using channel aggregation to use bandwidths of 100 MHz, channel aggregation over a wide set of frequencies many be needed, availability of sufficient spectrum has been recognised as a significant technological problem.

There are many different bands that are being allocated for use with LTE. These bands are defined on the previous page.

On this page, additional notes and information are given about these different LTE bands.

4G/LTE bands Overview

The number of bands allocated for use has increased as the pressure increases on spectrum.

It has not been possible for all LTE band allocations to be the same across the globe because of the different regulatory positions in different countries. It has not been possible to gain global allocations.

In some cases bands appear to overlap. This is because of the different levels of availability around the globe, where various countries have allocated the frequencies differently now and historically.  This means that roaming with LTE may have some limitations as not all handsets or UEs will be able to access the same frequencies.

Notes accompanying LTE band tabulations

There are a few notes that can give some background to the LTE bands defined in the table on the previous page.

• LTE Band 1:   This is one of the paired bands that was defined for the 3G UTRA and 3GPP rel 99.
• LTE Band 4:   This LTE band was introduced as a new band for the Americas at the World (Administrative) Radio Conference, WRC-2000. This international conference is where international spectrum allocations are agreed. The downlink of band 4 overlaps with the downlink for Band 1. This facilitates roaming.
• LTE Band 9:   This band overlaps with Band 3 but has different band limits and it is also only intended for use in Japan. This enables roaming to be achieved more easily, and many terminals are defined such that that are dual band 3 + 9
• LTE Band 10:   This band is an extension to Band 4 and may not be available everywhere. It provides an increase from 45 MHz bandwidth (paired) to 60 MHz paired.
• LTE Band 11:   This “1500 MHz” band is identified by 3GPP as a Japanese band, but it is allocated globally to the mobile service on a “co-primary basis”.
• LTE Band 12:   This band was previously used for broadcasting and has been released as a result of the “Digital Dividend.”
• LTE Band 13:   This band was previously used for broadcasting and has been released as a result of the “Digital Dividend.” The duplex configuration is reversed from the standard, having the uplink higher in frequency than the downlink.
• LTE Band 14:   This band was previously used for broadcasting and has been released as a result of the “Digital Dividend.” The duplex configuration is reversed from the standard, having the uplink higher in frequency than the downlink.
• LTE Band 15:   This LTE band has been defined by ETSI for use in Europe, but this has not been adopted by 3GPP. This band combines two nominally TDD bands to provide one FDD band.
• LTE Band 16:   This LTE band has been defined by ETSI for use in Europe, but this has not been adopted by 3GPP. This band combines two nominally TDD bands to provide one FDD band.
• LTE Band 17:   This band was previously used for broadcasting and has been released as a result of the “Digital Dividend.”
• LTE Band 20:   The duplex configuration is reversed from the standard, having the uplink higher in frequency than the downlink.
• LTE Band 21:   This “1500 MHz” band is identified by 3GPP as a Japanese band, but it is allocated globally to the mobile service on a “co-primary basis”.
• LTE Band 24:   The duplex configuration is reversed from the standard, having the uplink higher in frequency than the downlink.
• LTE Band 33:   This was one of the bands defined for unpaired spectrum in Rel 99 of the 3GPP specifications.
• LTE Band 34:   This was one of the bands defined for unpaired spectrum in Rel 99 of the 3GPP specifications.
• LTE Band 38:   This band is in the centre band spacing between the uplink and downlink pairs of LTE band 7.

Although 3GPP can defined bands for use in LTE or any other mobile service, the actual allocations are made on an international basis by the ITU are World radio Conferences, and then the individual country administrations can allocate spectrum use in their own countries. 3GPP has no legal basis, and can only work with the various country administrations.

Frequency bands may be allocated on a primary and secondary basis. Primary users have the first access to a band, secondary users, in general, may use the band provided they do not cause interference to the primary users.

 

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