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GHz to 18 GHz Frequencies Usage from NTIA & Wikipedia

Common Worldwide Wireless Technologies ............................................................................................... 2 Chart Legend ................................................................................................................................................ 3 L band 1 GH to 2 GHz ................................................................................................................................... 4 Military use .............................................................................................................................................. 4 GNSS ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Telecommunications use ......................................................................................................................... 4 Amateur radio .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Digital Audio Broadcasting (Earth Orbital) ............................................................................................... 4 DAB L band usage .................................................................................................................................... 5 Physics issues relating to band use .......................................................................................................... 6 S band 2 GH to 4 GHz ................................................................................................................................... 6 C band 4 GH to 8 GHz .................................................................................................................................. 7 X band 8 GH to 12 GHz ................................................................................................................................. 9 Satellite communications ........................................................................................................................ 9 Radar ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Terrestrial communications and networking ......................................................................................... 10 Space communications .......................................................................................................................... 10 Amateur radio ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Other uses .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Ku band 12 GH to 18 GHz ........................................................................................................................... 11 The Americas ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Europe and Africa .................................................................................................................................. 12 Australia ................................................................................................................................................. 12 Indonesia ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Others .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Advantages ............................................................................................................................................ 13 Disadvantages ........................................................................................................................................ 13 pg. 1

Common Worldwide Wireless Technologies

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Chart Legend

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L band 1 GH to 2 GHz

Military use
In the United States and overseas territories, the L band is held by the military for telemetry, thereby forcing digital radio to in-band on-channel (IBOC) solutions. DAB is typically done in the 14521492-MHz range as in most of the world, but other countries also use VHF and UHF bands.

GNSS
The Global Positioning System carriers are in the L band, centered at 1176.45 MHz (L5), 1227.60 MHz (L2), 1381.05 MHz (L3), and 1575.42 MHz (L1) frequencies.

The Galileo Navigation System uses the L-band similarly to GPS. The GLONASS System uses the L-band similarly to GPS.

Telecommunications use
GSM mobile phones operate at 800900 and 18001900 MHz. Iridium Satellite LLC phones use frequencies between 1616 and 1626.5 MHz to communicate with the satellites. Inmarsat terminals use frequencies between 1525 and 1646.5 MHz to communicate with the satellites.

Amateur radio
The Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union allow amateur radio operations in the frequency range 1,240 to 1,300 MHz, and amateur satellite up-links are allowed in the range 1,260 to 1,270 MHz. This is known as the 23-centimeter band by amateurs and the L-band by AMSAT.

Digital Audio Broadcasting (Earth Orbital)

WorldSpace satellite radio broadcasts in the 14671492 MHz L sub-band.

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DAB L band usage

The following blocks are used for T-DAB (terrestrial) broadcasts: Block Center Frequency LA 1452.960 MHz LB 1454.672 MHz LC 1456.384 MHz LD 1458.096 MHz LE 1459.808 MHz LF 1461.520 MHz LG 1463.232 MHz LH 1464.944 MHz LI 1466.656 MHz LJ 1468.368 MHz LK 1470.080 MHz LL 1471.792 MHz LM 1473.504 MHz LN 1475.216 MHz LO 1476.928 MHz LP 1478.640 MHz The following blocks are used for S-DAB (satellite) broadcasts: Block Center Frequency LQ 1480.352 MHz LR 1482.064 MHz LS 1483.776 MHz LT 1485.488 MHz LU 1487.200 MHz LV 1488.912 MHz LW 1490.624 MHz Note: Canada uses slightly different central frequencies for L-band DAB while in many European countries DAB is limited part of Band III due to television and mobile two way radio using the rest.

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Physics issues relating to band use

The band also contains the hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen (the hydrogen line, 1420 MHz), which is of great astronomical interest as a means of imaging the normally invisible neutral atomic hydrogen in interstellar space. Consequently parts of the L-band are protected radio astronomy allocations worldwide.

S band 2 GH to 4 GHz

The S band is defined by an IEEE standard for radio waves with frequencies that range from 2 to 4 GHz, crossing the conventional boundary between UHF and SHF at 3.0 GHz. It is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum. The S band is used by weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites, especially those used by NASA to communicate with the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. The 10-cm radar short-band ranges roughly from 1.55 to 5.2 GHz. In the U.S., the FCC approved Digital Audio Radio Satellite (DARS) broadcasts in the S band from 2.31 to 2.36 GHz, currently used by Sirius XM Radio. More recently, it has approved for portions of the S band between 2.0 and 2.2 GHz the creation of Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) networks in connection with Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATC). There are presently a number of companies attempting to deploy such networks, including ICO Satellite Management and TerreStar. The 2.6 GHz range is used for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting, a satellite radio and mobile TV standard which, as with proprietary systems in the U.S., is incompatible with the open standards used in the rest of the world. In May 2009, Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile (a joint venture between Eutelsat and Astra) were awarded each a 215 MHz portion of the S band by the European Commission. The two companies are allowed two years to start providing pan-European MSS services for 18 years. Allocated frequencies are 1.98 to 2.01 GHz for Earth to space communications, and from 2.17 to 2.2 GHz for space to Earth communications. Eutelsat W2A satellite launched in April, 2009 and located at 10 East is currently the unique satellite in Europe operating on S band frequencies.

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In some countries, S band is used for Direct-to-Home satellite television (unlike similar services in most countries, which use Ku band). The frequency typically allocated for this service is 2.5 to 2.7 GHz (LOF 1.570 GHz). Wireless network equipment compatible with IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g standards use the 2.4 GHz section of the S band. Digital cordless telephones operate in this band too. Microwave ovens operate at 2495 or 2450 MHz. IEEE 802.16a and 802.16e standards utilize a part of the frequency range of S band, under WiMAX standards most vendors are now manufacturing equipment in the range of 3.5 GHz. The exact frequency range allocated for this type of use varies between countries. In North America, 2.4 - 2.483 GHz is an ISM band used for unlicensed spectrum devices such as cordless phones, wireless headphones, and video senders, among other consumer electronics uses, including Bluetooth which operates between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz. Amateur radio and amateur satellite operators have two S-band allocations, 13 cm (2.4 GHz) and 9 cm (3.4 GHz).

C band 4 GH to 8 GHz

The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications transmissions, some Wi-Fi devices, some cordless telephones, and some weather radar systems. For satellite communications, the microwave frequencies of the C-band perform better under adverse weather conditions in comparison with Ku band (11.2 GHz to 14.5 GHz) microwave frequencies, which are used by another large set of communication satellites. The adverse weather conditions, collectively referred to as rain fade, all have to do with moisture in the air, including rain and snow. The IEEE C-band is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies ranging from 4.0 to 8.0 gigahertz (GHz), but this definition is the one that is followed by radar manufacturers and users, but not necessarily by microwave radio telecommunications users.

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The communications C-band was the first frequency band that was allocated for commercial telecommunications via satellites. The same frequencies were already in use for terrestrial microwave radio relay chains. Nearly all C-band communication satellites use the band of frequencies from 3.7 to 4.2 GHz for their downlinks, and the band of frequencies from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz for their uplinks. Note that by using the band from 3.7 to 4.0 GHz, this C-band overlaps somewhat into the IEEE S-band for radars. The C-band communication satellites typically have 24 radio transponders spaced 20 MHz apart, but with the adjacent transponders on opposite polarizations. Hence, the transponders on the same polarization are always 40 MHz apart. Of this 40 MHz, each transponder utilizes about 36 MHz. (The unused 4.0 MHz between the pairs of transponders acts as "guard bands" for the likely case of imperfections in the microwave electronics.) The C-band is primarily used for open satellite communications, whether for full-time satellite TV networks or raw satellite feeds, although subscription programming also exists. This use contrasts with direct broadcast satellite, which is a completely closed system used to deliver subscription programming to small satellite dishes that are connected with proprietary receiving equipment. The satellite communications portion of the C-band is highly associated with television receiveonly satellite reception systems, commonly called "big dish" systems, since small receiving antennas are not optimal for C-band systems. Typical antenna sizes on C-band capable systems ranges from 7.5 to 12 feet (2.5 to 3.5 meters) on consumer satellite dishes, although larger ones also can be used. The C-band frequencies of 5.4 GHz band [5.15 to 5.35 GHz, or 5.47 to 5.725 GHz, or 5.725 to 5.875 GHz, depending on the region of the world] is used for IEEE 802.11a Wi-Fi and cordless telephone applications, leading to occasional interference with some weather radars that are also allocated to the C-band.

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X band 8 GH to 12 GHz

The X band is a segment of the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of X band is rather indefinitely set at approximately 7.0 to 11.2 gigahertz (GHz). In radar engineering, the frequency range is specified by the IEEE at 8.0 to 12.0 GHz.

Satellite communications
For military communications satellites, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has assigned the X band uplink frequency band (for sending modulated signals) as from 7.9 to 8.4 GHz. The ITU-assigned downlink frequency band (for receiving signals) is from 7.25 to 7.75 GHz. The US military uses all frequencies in this spectrum; however, they use select signals on the frequencies throughout this spectrum. The typical local oscillator frequency of an X band low-noise block converter (LNB) is 6300 MHz. Both of these frequency bands are 500 MHz wide. In engineering, this pair of frequency bands may be referred to as the 8 / 7 GHz X band satellite communications system.

Radar
X band is used in radar applications including continuous-wave, pulsed, single-polarization, dual-polarization, synthetic aperture radar, and phased arrays. X band radar frequency sub-bands are used in civil, military, and government institutions for weather monitoring, air traffic control, maritime vessel traffic control, defense tracking, and vehicle speed detection for law enforcement.

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X band is often used in modern radars. The shorter wavelengths of the X band allow for higher resolution imagery from high-resolution imaging radars for target identification and discrimination.

Terrestrial communications and networking

In Ireland, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Canada, the X band 10.15 to 10.7 segment is used for terrestrial broadband. Alvarion, Cambridge, and Ogier make systems for this, though these are all incompatible. The Ogier system is a full duplex Transverter used for DOCSIS over microwave. The home / Business CPE has a single coaxial cable with a power adapter connecting to an ordinary cable modem. The local oscillator is usually 9750 MHz, the same as for Ku band satellite TV LNB. Two way applications such as broadband typically use a 350 MHz TX offset.

Space communications
Portions of the X band are assigned by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) exclusively for deep space telecommunications. The primary user of this allocation is the American NASA Deep Space Network (DSN). DSN facilities are located in Goldstone, California (in the Mojave Desert), near Canberra, Australia, and near Madrid, Spain. These three stations, located approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude, provide continual communications from the Earth to almost any point in the Solar System independent of Earth rotation. DSN stations are capable of using the older and lower S band deep-space radio communications allocations, and some higher frequencies on a more-or-less experimental basis, such as in the K band. Notable deep space probe programs that have employed X band communications include the Viking Mars landers; the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, and beyond; the Galileo Jupiter orbiter; the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper belt, and the Cassini-Huygens Saturn orbiter. An important use of the X band communications came with the two Viking program landers. When the planet Mars was passing near or behind the Sun, as seen from the Earth, a Viking lander would transmit two simultaneous continuous-wave carriers, one in the S band and one in the X band in the direction of the Earth, where they were picked up by DSN ground stations. By making simultaneous measurements at the two different frequencies, the resulting data enabled theoretical physicists to verify the mathematical predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. These results are some of the best confirmations of the General Theory of Relativity.

Amateur radio
The Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union allow amateur radio operations in the frequency range 10.000 to 10.500 GHz, and amateur satellite operations are

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allowed in the range 10.450 to 10.500 GHz. This is known as the 3-centimeter band by amateurs and the X-band by AMSAT.

Other uses
Motion detectors often use 10.525 GHz. 10.4 GHz is proposed for traffic light crossing detectors. Comreg in Ireland has allocated 10.450GHz for Traffic Sensors as SRD. Many electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometers operate near 9.8GHz.

Ku band 12 GH to 18 GHz

The K band (English pronunciation: /keju/) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave range of frequencies. This symbol refers to (originally German: Kurz-unten)in other words, the band directly below the K-band. In radar applications, it ranges from 12-18 GHz according to the formal definition of radar frequency band nomenclature in IEEE Standard 5212002. Ku band is primarily used for satellite communications, most notably for fixed and broadcast services, and for specific applications such as NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite used for both space shuttle and ISS communications. Ku band satellites are also used for backhauls and particularly for satellite from remote locations back to a television network's studio for editing and broadcasting. The band is split into multiple segments that vary by geographical region by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). NBC was the first television network to uplink a majority of its affiliate feeds via Ku band in 1983. Some frequencies in this radio band are used for vehicle speed detection by law enforcement, especially in Europe.

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The Americas
Segments in most of The Americas are represented by ITU Region 2 from 11.7 to 12.2 GHz (Local Oscillator Frequency (LOF) 10.750 GHz), allocated to the FSS (fixed service satellite), uplink from 14.0 to 14.5 GHz. There are more than 22 FSS Ku band satellites orbiting over North America, each carrying 12 to 48 transponders, 20 to 120 watts per transponder, and requiring a 0.8-m to 1.5-m antenna for clear reception. The 12.2 to 12.7 GHz (LOF 11.250 GHz) segment is allocated to the BSS (broadcasting satellite service). BSS (DBS direct broadcast satellites) normally carry 16 to 32 transponders of 27 MHz bandwidth running at 100 to 240 watts of power, allowing the use of receiver antennas as small as 18 inches (450 mm).

Europe and Africa

Segments in those regions are represented by ITU Region 1 and they are, the 11.45 to 11.7 and 12.5 to 12.75 GHz bands are allocated to the FSS (fixed satellite service, uplink 14.0 to 14.5 GHz). In Europe Ku band is used from 10.7 to 12.75 GHz (LOF Low 9.750 GHz, LOF High 10.600 GHz) for direct broadcast satellite services such as those carried by the Astra satellites. The 11.7 to 12.5 GHz segment is allocated to the BSS (broadcasting satellite service).

Australia
Australia is part of ITU Region 3 and the Australian regulatory environment provides a class license that covers downlinking from 12.25 GHz to 12.75 GHz and uplinking from 14.0 GHz to 14.5 GHz.

Indonesia
The ITU has categorized Indonesia as Region P, countries with very high rain precipitation. This statement has made many people unsure about using Ku-band (11 18 GHz) in Indonesia. If frequencies higher than 10 GHz are used in a heavy rain area, a decrease in communication availability results. This problem can be solved by using an appropriate link budget when designing the wireless communication link. Higher power can overcome the loss to rain fade. Measurements of rain attenuation in Indonesia have been done for satellite communication links in Padang, Cibinong, Surabaya and Bandung. The DAH Model for rain attenuation prediction is valid for Indonesia, in addition to the ITU model. The DAH model has become an ITU recommendation since 2001 (Recommendation No. ITU-R P.618-7). This model can create a 99.7% available link so that Ku-band can be applied in Indonesia. The use of the Ku-band for satellite communications in tropical regions like Indonesia is becoming more frequent. Several satellites above Indonesia have Ku-band transponders, and even Ka band transponders. Newskies (NSS 6), launched in December 2002 and positioned at 95 East, contains only Ku-band transponders with a footprint on Indonesia (Sumatra, Java,

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Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Moluccas). The iPSTAR satellite, launched in 2004 also uses Ku band footprints. MEASAT has named the Ku-band footprint directed towards Indonesia Ku-band for Indonesi. MEASAT-3 plans to cover the whole of Indonesia from West to East. This satellite was launched by Malaysia in December 2006.

Others
Other ITU allocations have been made within the Ku band to the fixed service (microwave towers), radio astronomy service, space research service, mobile service, mobile satellite service, radiolocation service (radar), amateur radio service, and radionavigation. However, not all of these services are actually operating in this band and others are only minor users.

Advantages
Compared with C-band, Ku band is not similarly restricted in power to avoid interference with terrestrial microwave systems, and the power of its uplinks and downlinks can be increased. This higher power also translates into smaller receiving dishes and points out a generalization between a satellite's transmission and a dish's size. As the power increases, the dish's size can decrease.[4] This is because the purpose of the dish element of the antenna is to collect the incident waves over an area and focus them all onto the antenna's actual receiving element, mounted in front of the dish (and pointed back towards its face); if the waves are more intense, fewer of them need to be collected to achieve the same intensity at the receiving element. The Ku band also offers a user more flexibility. A smaller dish size and a Ku band system's freedom from terrestrial operations simplifies finding a suitable dish site. For the end users Ku band is generally cheaper and enables smaller antennas (both because of the higher frequency and a more focused beam) Ku band is also less vulnerable to rain fade than the Ka band frequency spectrum. The satellite operator's Earth Station antenna do require more accurate position control when operating at Ku band than compared to C band. Position feedback accuracies are higher and the antenna may require a closed loop control system to maintain position under wind loading of the dish surface.

Disadvantages
There are, however, some disadvantages of Ku band system. Especially at frequencies higher than 10 GHz in heavy rain fall areas, a noticeable degradation occurs, due to the problems caused by and proportional to the amount of rainfall (commonly known as "rain fade"). This problem can be mitigated, however, by deploying an appropriate link budget strategy when designing the satellite network, and allocating a higher power consumption to compensate rain fade loss. The Ku band is not only used for television transmission, which some sources imply, but also very much for digital data transmission via satellites, and for voice/audio transmissions. The higher frequency spectrum of the Ku band is particularly susceptible to signal degradation, considerably more so than C-band satellite frequency spectrum. A similar phenomenon, called
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"snow fade" (where snow or ice accumulation significantly alters the focal point of a dish) can also occur during winter precipitation. Also, the Ku band satellites typically require considerably more power to transmit than the C-band satellites. Under both "rain fade" and "snow fade" conditions, Ka and Ku band losses can be marginally reduced using super-hydrophobic Lotus effect coatings.

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