Radio Spectrum

The radio spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies from 3 Hz to 3,000 GHz (3 THz). Electromagnetic waves in this frequency range, called radio waves, are widely used in modern technology, particularly in telecommunication. To prevent interference between different users, the generation and transmission of radio waves is strictly regulated by national laws, coordinated by an international body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

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12 Bands

Band name Abbreviation ITU band number Frequency and Wavelength Example Uses
Extremely low frequency ELF 1 3–30 Hz
100,000–10,000 km		 Communication with submarines
Super low frequency SLF 2 30–300 Hz
10,000–1,000 km		 Communication with submarines
Ultra low frequency ULF 3 300–3,000 Hz
1,000–100 km		 Submarine communication, communication within mines
Very low frequency VLF 4 3–30 kHz
100–10 km		 Navigation, time signals, submarine communication, wireless heart rate monitors, geophysics
Low frequency LF 5 30–300 kHz
10–1 km		 Navigation, time signals, AM longwave broadcasting (Europe and parts of Asia), RFID, amateur radio
Medium frequency MF 6 300–3,000 kHz
1,000–100 m		 AM (medium-wave) broadcasts, amateur radio, avalanche beacons
High frequency HF 7 3–30 MHz
100–10 m		 Shortwave broadcasts, citizens band radio, amateur radio and over-the-horizon aviation communications, RFID, over-the-horizon radar, automatic link establishment (ALE) / near-vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) radio communications, marine and mobile radio telephony
Very high frequency VHF 8 30–300 MHz
10–1 m		 FM, television broadcasts, line-of-sight ground-to-aircraft and aircraft-to-aircraft communications, land mobile and maritime mobile communications, amateur radio, weather radio
Ultra high frequency UHF 9 300–3,000 MHz
1–0.1 m		 Television broadcasts, microwave oven, microwave devices/communications, radio astronomy, mobile phones, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS and two-way radios such as land mobile, FRS and GMRS radios, amateur radio, satellite radio, Remote control Systems, ADSB.
Super high frequency SHF 10 3–30 GHz
100–10 mm		 Radio astronomy, microwave devices/communications, wireless LAN, DSRC, most modern radars, communications satellites, cable and satellite television broadcasting, DBS, amateur radio, satellite radio.
Extremely high frequency EHF 11 30–300 GHz
10–1 mm		 Radio astronomy, high-frequency microwave radio relay, microwave remote sensing, directed-energy weapon, millimeter wave scanner, Wireless Lan 802.11ad.
Terahertz or Tremendously high frequency THz or THF 12 300–3,000 GHz
1–0.1 mm		 Experimental medical imaging to replace X-rays, ultrafast molecular dynamics, condensed-matter physics, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, terahertz computing/communications, remote sensing

The table originated with a recommendation of the IVth CCIR meeting, held in Bucharest in 1937, and was approved by the International Radio Conference held at Atlantic City, NJ in 1947. The idea to give each band a number, in which the number is the logarithm of the approximate geometric mean of the upper and lower band limits in Hz, originated with B.C. Fleming-Williams, who suggested it in a letter to the editor of Wireless Engineer in 1942. (For example, the approximate geometric mean of Band 7 is 10 MHz, or 107 Hz.)

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Full Spectrum

Full Spectrum

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Frequency Bands

Band Duplex
mode[A 1] 		ƒ
(MHz) 		Common
name 		Subset
of band 		Uplink[A 2]
(MHz) 		Downlink[A 3]
(MHz) 		Duplex
spacing
(MHz) 		Channel bandwidths
(MHz) 		Notes
1 FDD 2100 IMT 65 1920 – 1980 2110 – 2170 190 5, 10, 15, 20
2 FDD 1900 PCS 25 1850 – 1910 1930 – 1990 80 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
3 FDD 1800 DCS 1710 – 1785 1805 – 1880 95 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
4 FDD 1700 AWS‑1 66 1710 – 1755 2110 – 2155 400 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
5 FDD 850 Cellular 26 824 – 849 869 – 894 45 1.4, 3, 5, 10
7 FDD 2600 IMT-E 2500 – 2570 2620 – 2690 120 5, 10, 15, 20
8 FDD 900 Extended GSM 880 – 915 925 – 960 45 1.4, 3, 5, 10
11 FDD 1500 Lower PDC 74 1427.9 – 1447.9 1475.9 – 1495.9 48 5, 10
12 FDD 700 Lower SMH 85 699 – 716 729 – 746 30 1.4, 3, 5, 10
13 FDD 700 Upper SMH 777 – 787 746 – 756 −31 5, 10
14 FDD 700 Upper SMH 788 – 798 758 – 768 −30 5, 10
17 FDD 700 Lower SMH 12, 85 704 – 716 734 – 746 30 5, 10
18 FDD 850 Lower 800 (Japan) 26 815 – 830 860 – 875 45 5, 10, 15
19 FDD 850 Upper 800 (Japan) 26 830 – 845 875 – 890 45 5, 10, 15
20 FDD 800 Digital Dividend (EU) 832 – 862 791 – 821 −41 5, 10, 15, 20
21 FDD 1500 Upper PDC 74 1447.9 – 1462.9 1495.9 – 1510.9 48 5, 10, 15
24 FDD 1600 Upper L‑Band (US) 1626.5 – 1660.5[B 1] 1525 – 1559[B 2] −101.5 5, 10
25 FDD 1900 Extended PCS 1850 – 1915 1930 – 1995 80 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
26 FDD 850 Extended Cellular 814 – 849 859 – 894 45 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15
28 FDD 700 APT 703 – 748 758 – 803 55 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
29 SDL 700 Lower SMH N/A 717 – 728 N/A 3, 5, 10
30 FDD 2300 WCS 2305 – 2315 2350 – 2360 45 5, 10
31 FDD 450 NMT 452.5 – 457.5 462.5 – 467.5 10 1.4, 3, 5
32 SDL 1500 L‑Band (EU) 75 N/A 1452 – 1496 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
34 TDD 2000 IMT 2010 – 2025 N/A 5, 10, 15
35 TDD 1900 PCS 1850 – 1910 N/A 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 PCS Uplink
36 TDD 1900 PCS 1930 – 1990 N/A 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 PCS Downlink
37 TDD 1900 PCS 1910 – 1930 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20 PCS Duplex Spacing
38 TDD 2600 IMT-E 41 2570 – 2620 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20 IMT-E Duplex Spacing
39 TDD 1900 DCS–IMT Gap 1880 – 1920 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
40 TDD 2300 S-Band 2300 – 2400 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
41 TDD 2500 BRS (US) 2496 – 2690 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
42 TDD 3500 CBRS (EU, Japan) 3400 – 3600 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
43 TDD 3700 C-Band 3600 – 3800 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
44 TDD 700 APT 703 – 803 N/A 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 No band allocations
45 TDD 1500 L-Band 1447 – 1467 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
46 TDD 5200 U-NII-1–4 5150 – 5925 N/A 10, 20 LAA
47 TDD 5900 U-NII-4 5855 – 5925 N/A 10, 20 V2X
48 TDD 3500 CBRS (US) 3550 – 3700 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
49 TDD 3500 C-Band 48 3550 – 3700 N/A 10, 20
50 TDD 1500 L‑Band (EU) 1432 – 1517 N/A 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
51 TDD 1500 L‑Band Extension (EU) 1427 – 1432 N/A 3, 5
52 TDD 3300 C-Band 3300 – 3400 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
53 TDD 2400 S-Band 2483.5 – 2495 N/A 1.4, 3, 5, 10
65 FDD 2100 Extended IMT 1920 – 2010 2110 – 2200 190 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
66 FDD 1700 Extended AWS (AWS‑1–3) 1710 – 1780 2110 – 2200[B 3] 400 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
67 SDL 700 EU 700 N/A 738 – 758 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
68 FDD 700 ME 700 (MEA) 698 – 728 753 – 783 55 5, 10, 15
69 SDL 2600 IMT-E N/A 2570 – 2620 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20 IMT-E Duplex Spacing
70 FDD 1700 Supplementary AWS (AWS‑2–4) 1695 – 1710 1995 – 2020 295 – 300[B 4] 5, 10, 15, 20[B 5] [2]
71 FDD 600 Digital Dividend (US) 663 – 698 617 – 652 −46 5, 10, 15, 20
72 FDD 450 PMR (EU) 451 – 456 461 – 466 10 1.4, 3, 5
73 FDD 450 PMR (APT) 450 – 455 460 – 465 10 1.4, 3, 5
74 FDD 1500 Lower L‑Band (US) 1427 – 1470 1475 – 1518 48 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20
75 SDL 1500 L‑Band (EU) N/A 1432 – 1517 N/A 5, 10, 15, 20
76 SDL 1500 L‑Band Extension (EU) N/A 1427 – 1432 N/A 5
85 FDD 700 Extended Lower SMH 698 – 716 728 – 746 30 5, 10
87 FDD 410 PMR (APT) 410 – 415 420 – 425 10 1.4, 3, 5
88 FDD 410 PMR (EU) 412 – 417 422 – 427 10 1.4, 3, 5
Band Duplex
mode 		ƒ
(MHz) 		Common
name 		Subset
of band 		Uplink
(MHz) 		Downlink
(MHz) 		Duplex
spacing
(MHz) 		Channel bandwidths
(MHz) 		Notes

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LTE Frequency Bands in Sri Lanka

LTE Frequency Bands in Sri Lanka

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Cellular telephone services in Sri Lanka began in 1989 as first generation (1G) analog network based on the Total Access Communication System (TACS) standard in the 900MHz band. Analogue cellular services in the 800MHz band were introduced in the early 1990’s based on the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) standard. Subsequently, the second generation (2G) digital system, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) was introduced in the mid 1990’s to overcome the capacity limitations of the analog systems. The first spectrum allocation for GSM was made in the 900MHz band.

2G mobile networks can only cater for voice and low speed data (9.6kbps) transmissions while second and half generation (2.5G) services such as General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) can offer transmission speeds up to 15kbps to meet the market demand.

Customer demand for high speed services such as video calling and high speed Internet access lies with the third generation (3G) systems which will offer data rates up to 2 Mbps and hence will be able to deliver enhanced multimedia and high resolution video services.

By considering the significant user benefits in 3G systems, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) facilitated the introduction of the 3G mobile services in appropriate time, to be the first in South Asia to offer 3G services. The evolving technology for 3G is called High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), 3.5G systems, also deployed on top of the existing 3G networks, and become the first in South Asia to offer 3.5G services.

Sri Lanka introduced 4G technology in 2013.

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