We are sometimes asked about the frequency bands used by the major North American carriers to deliver their 4G LTE services. In trying to answer that question while presenting a lot of data in a readable format, we’ve assembled the table below.
Because most inquires on this subject come as a question similar to this, “What frequencies does Carrier X use for LTE service?” we’ve grouped the data by carrier rather than by frequency or band.
This is not meant to be an exhautive list. Many of the regional North American mobile carriers are not listed here. However, we have listed those U.S. and Canada carriers whose LTE services combined cover the vast majority of mobile phone subscribers in their respective countries.
Also to be clear, this list includes LTE frequency bands only. In an effort to simplify presentation of the data we purposely did not include 3G frequency bands.
First, here’s some background. The frequency of radio waves carrying mobile communications is commonly expressed by a single number measured in megahertz, 700 MHZ for example. But this single number actually represents a frequency range. For example, the 700 MHz frequency covers the range from 699 MHz to 798 MHz.
The bands used by mobile carriers are numbered sequentially and represent “blocks” of a frequency range. A band may be assigned exclusively to one cellular carrier, or be shared by multiple carriers. A frequency range may comprise multiple bands, like 700 MHz which includes Bands 12, 13, 17 (and more) used in the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s the list of LTE frequency bands for major U.S. carriers.
AT&T LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHZ Band 12, 17, 29
850 MHz Band 5
1700/2100 MHz Band 4
1900 MHz Band 2
2300 MHz Band 30
SPRINT LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
850 MHz Band 26
1900 MHz Band 25
2500 MHz Band 41
T-MOBILE LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
600 MHz Band 71
700 MHz Band 12
1900 MHz Band 2
US CELLULAR LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHZ Band 12
850 MHZ Band 5
VERIZON LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHZ Band 13
1700/2100 MHz Band 4
1900 MHz Band 2
Here’s the list of LTE frequency bands for major Canadian carriers.
BELL LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHz Band 12, 13, 17, 29
850 MHz Band 5
1700/2100 MHz Band 4
1900 MHz Band 2
2600 MHz Band 7
ROGERS LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHz Band 12
1700/2100 MHz Band 4
2600 MHz Band 7
TELUS LTE FREQUENCY BANDS
700 MHz Band 12, 13, 17, 29
850 MHz Band 5
1700/2100 MHz Band 4
1900 MHz Band 2
2600 MHz Band 7
If you don’t see on this list the specific carrier you are looking for, try this Wikipedia link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_frequency_bands.
It includes the frequency bands used by most carriers around the world to deliver their 4G LTE service.
This article originally appeared at the weBoost blog. For a much broader look at frequencies in use, check out this article.
