What Spectrum Is Used In 5G?

What spectrum is used in 5G New Radio?

In the article, you will learn about:

5G frequency range
5G NR spectrum ranges FR1 and FR2
How is the 5G spectrum allocated in various countries?
5G spectrum numbers

The 5G frequency range defined by 3GPP is divided into FR1 and FR2.

The specific ranges of FR1 and FR2 are as follows:

Frequency range name & Corresponding frequency range

FR1: 450 MHz-6000 MHz

FR2: 24250 MHz-52600 MHz

FR1 is what we usually call sub 6GHz, the part below 6GHz, which will be the current mainstream application range of 5G.

We know that the lower the frequency, the stronger the coverage, and the better the penetration. However, many frequency bands have been used in previous networks, and the usage conditions of different countries are different. At present, 3.5GHz is the most widely used frequency spectrum for 5G.

600MHz frequency band (470~694/698MHz): Determined to be used in some countries in the Americas and the Asia Pacific.

700MHz frequency band (694~790MHz): 5G frequency band used globally.

L band (1427~1518MHz): A new global band determined for all countries and regions.
3300~3400MHz: The global band is determined by many countries and regions, except Europe and North America.

C band (3400~3600MHz): The global band is determined for all countries and regions. Europe and South Korea are already in use. In China, it is also allocated to China Telecom and China Unicom.

C Band (3600~3700MHz): The global band is determined by many countries and regions, except for some countries in Africa and Asia-Pacific.
2496 MHz-2690 MHz: A global band determined by many countries and regions, but many countries have already used this frequency band for LTE, and this frequency band in China has allocated 160 MHz to China Mobile.

4800~4990MHz: A new frequency band determined by a few countries in the Asia-Pacific region. 100MHz was allocated to China Mobile in China.

The FR2 range is mainly high-frequency, which is what we usually call millimeter waves. It has weak penetration, but the bandwidth is very sufficient, there are no interference sources, the frequency spectrum is clean, and future applications are also very extensive.

How is the 5G spectrum allocated in various countries?

China

In China, on December 6, 2018, the 5G spectrum has been clearly allocated to the three major operators (experimental, but basically represents future authorization, and it is unlikely to change):

China Telecom has obtained 5G test frequency resources with a total bandwidth of 3400MHz-3500MHz of 100MHz;

China Mobile has obtained a total of 260MHz bandwidth 5G test frequency resources in the 2515MHz-2675MHz and 4800MHz-4900MHz frequency bands, of which the 2515-2575MHz, 2635-2675MHz, and 4800-4900MHz frequency bands are newly added frequency bands, and the 2575-2635MHz frequency band is the existing China Mobile TD-LTE (4G) frequency band;

China Unicom has obtained 5G test frequency resources with a total bandwidth of 3500MHz-3600MHz of 100MHz.

As for China Radio and Television, although there is no official allocation at present, it is possible to obtain a spectrum at 4.9GHz with 700MHz in hand.

Americas

The United States has released a spectrum that can be used on a technology-neutral basis (600MHz spectrum can be used for 5G). The United States has also determined that the 28 GHz (27.5-28.35 GHz) and 39 GHz (37-40 GHz) frequency bands can be used for 5G services. These two frequency bands have been allocated many years ago. The United States will also use the 2.5GHz frequency band for 5G.

At the same time, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States are all planning to auction/allocate spectrum suitable for 5G services. Argentina and Chile are considering frequency bands, and Canada has announced 600MHz as a technology-neutral licensed spectrum.

European region

Most of them use the 3.5GHz frequency band, as well as 700MHz and 26GHz.

Has completed 5G spectrum auction or commercial use: Ireland, Latvia, Spain (3.5GHz), and the United Kingdom;

Has completed the auction of possible spectrum for 5G: Germany (700MHz), Greece, and Norway (900MHz);

The 5G spectrum auction has been confirmed: Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, and Switzerland;

The planned auction may have frequency bands suitable for 5G: Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland.

Asia-Pacific

The auction/allocation of the 5G spectrum has been confirmed: Australia, China, Hong Kong region, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. Among them, in June 2018, South Korea completed the 5G auction for the 3.42-3.7GHz and 26.5-28.9GHz frequency bands, and it has been commercialized in the 3.5G frequency band.

At the same time, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Singapore are already consulting on the auction of mid-frequency and millimeter-wave frequency spectrum.

In the Middle East and Africa

Saudi Arabia has recently completed a spectrum auction for 5G services. At least 8 countries and regions in the Middle East have carried out 5G trials. Tanzania has allocated 700MHz spectrum for ICT services, and South Africa plans to conduct 800MHz spectrum auctions for IMT services.

5G spectrum number

5G frequency band number in FR1

5G NR Frequency	Uplink (UL) band BS reception / UE transmission	Downlink (DL) band BS reception / UE transmission	Duplex mode
n1	1920 MHz - 1980 MHz	2110 MHz - 2170 MHz	FDD
n2	1850 MHz - 1910 MHz	1930 MHz - 1990 MHz	FDD
n3	1710 MHz - 1785 MHz	1805 MHz - 1880 MHz	FDD
n5	824 MHz - 849 MHz	869 MHz - 894 MHz	FDD
n7	2500 MHz - 2570 MHz	2620 MHz - 2690 MHz	FDD
n8	880 MHz - 915 MHz	925 MHz - 960 MHz	FDD
n12	699 MHz - 716 MHz	729 MHz - 746 MHz	FDD
n20	832 MHz - 862 MHz	791 MHz - 821 MHz	FDD
n25	1850 MHz - 1915 MHz	1930 MHz - 1995 MHz	FDD
n28	703 MHz - 748 MHz	758 MHz - 803 MHz	FDD
n34	2010 MHz - 2025 MHz	2010 MHz - 2025 MHz	TDD
n38	2570 MHz - 2620 MHz	2570 MHz - 2620 MHz	TDD
n39	1880 MHz - 1920 MHz	1880 MHz - 1920 MHz	TDD
n40	2300 MHz - 2400 MHz	2300 MHz - 2400 MHz	TDD
n41	2496 MHz - 2690 MHz	2496 MHz - 2690 MHz	TDD
n51	1427 MHz - 1432 MHz	1427 MHz - 1432 MHz	TDD
n66	1710 MHz - 1780 MHz	2110 MHz - 2200 MHz	FDD
n70	1695 MHz - 1710 MHz	1995 MHz - 2020 MHz	FDD
n71	663 MHz - 698 MHz	617 MHz - 652 MHz	FDD
n75	N/A	1432 MHz - 1517 MHz	Supplement down
n76	N/A	1427 MHz - 1432 MHz	Supplement down
n77	3300 MHz - 4200 MHz	3300 MHz - 4200 MHz	TDD
n78	3300 MHz - 3800 MHz	3300 MHz - 3800 MHz	TDD
n79	4400 MHz - 5000 MHz	4400 MHz - 5000 MHz	TDD
n80	1710 MHz - 1785 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside
n81	880 MHz - 915 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside
n82	832 MHz - 862 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside
n83	703 MHz - 748 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside
n84	1920 MHz - 1980 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside
n86	1710 MHz - 1780 MHz	N/A	Supplementary upside

5G frequency band number in FR2

5G NR Frequency	Uplink (UL) and Downlink (DL) frequency bands	Duplex mode
n257	26500 MHz - 29500 MHz	TDD
n258	24250 MHz - 27500 MHz	TDD
n260	37000 MHz - 40000 MHz	TDD
n261	27500 MHz - 28350 MHz	TDD

The support for spectrum width in 5G is very extensive. FR1 supports a range from 5MHz to 100MHz, and FR2 can support a maximum of 400MHz, and the sub-transmission bandwidth configuration corresponding to each spectrum bandwidth is different.

There is also a concept of SCS, that is, the sub-carrier spacing. This is 15kHz in 4G networks, but in 5G, 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz are introduced.

Among them: 15kHz only supports bandwidth below 60MHz, that is to say, the mainstream 5G networks that use 100MHz bandwidth at least all use 30kHz subcarrier spacing.

In the millimeter-wave frequency band, only 60kHz and 120kHz subcarrier spacing are supported. Among them, the 400MHz bandwidth must use 120kHz.

Besides the What is spectrum is used in 5G article, you may also be interested in the below articles.