All frequencies, arfcn and bands are labeled on the diagram.
Cellular frequencies in PDF (900 and 1800 for Moscow, other frequencies are the same for all regions)
| Range | Band | DL ARFCN |
| 800 LTE (4G) | 20 | 6150 .. 6449 |
| 900 UMTS (3G) | 8 | 2937 .. 3088 |
| 1800 LTE (4G) | 3 | 1200 .. 1949 |
| 2100 UMTS (3G) | 1 | 10562 .. 10838 |
| 2600 LTE FDD (4G) | 7 | 2750 .. 3449 |
| 2600 LTE TDD (4G) | 38 | 37750 .. 38249 |
Table of standards in ranges:
Comments:
- Attention, it's 2019 and 4G / LTE can already work in all 5 bands! A network is already being deployed even at 900 MHz in the Leningrad Region.
- LTE Band 38 (2600 TDD) is used only in Moscow and Moscow Region by Megafon and MTS operators. In other regions, television operates on this frequency.
- Yota essentially became a virtual operator of Megafon, i.e. where Megafon 3G operates at 900 MHz, there Yota will also operate at the same frequency, provided that the subscriber device supports this standard.
- LTE Band 7 (2600 MHz) is used only in cities and towns.
- LTE Band 3 (1800 MHz), in my opinion, will be one of the most common in areas with an average density of summer residents. For example, the Moscow region is completely covered by this range by the operator MTS and Megafon, Beeline is a little behind, but work is also underway. Raise the main antenna higher in order to catch this range.
- Band 20 (800 MHz). Its main task is to cover areas with low subscriber density. Due to its low frequency, the range of the operator's base station reaches up to 20 km. Although this is a 4th generation network, the speed will, as a rule, be no more than 5 Mbit / s due to its narrow spectrum of 7.5 MHz.
- Recently, the State Committee for Radio Frequencies allowed operators to use 4G in the 2100 range. But I don't think this will start happening before 2019.
Despite the fact that LTE is already available in almost all regions of our country, users still have confusion in frequencies (Bands), as well as in the categories of this technology (LTE cat. X). Today I would like to tell you in detail what are the differences between LTE "bands", LTE categories, as well as which of them are already used in Russia, and which may appear in the future.
LTE Bands - 4G frequencies
Unlike GSM and UMTS, which have become the standard for 2G and 3G communications, LTE technology can use a much wider spectrum of frequencies. So, for example, in GSM only 4 bands of 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz are used, and in UMTS the 1900-2200 MHz bands are added to them.
LTE technology, in turn, can operate at frequencies from ultra-low at 450 MHz to ultra-high at 5 GHz, and moreover, it can combine several bands into one channel using LTE Advanced technology, but we will talk about it a little later.
There are 70 LTE "bands" in total, which differ in frequency and some other parameters, but today I will focus only on those that are used in Russia.
At the moment, Russian operators use 5 bands:
- 3 in the range of 1800 MHz FDD;
- 7 in the 2600 MHz FDD range;
- 20 in the 800 MHz FDD range;
- 31 in the 450 MHz FDD band;
- 38 in the 2600 MHz TDD band.
You may have noticed that despite the same 2600 MHz frequency range in bands 7 and 38, they differ in the designations FDD and TDD. Now I will try to explain what the difference is.
In general, the end user may not notice this difference, but technologically the FDD and TDD networks are fundamentally different in the following. When using FDD (Frequency Division Duplex), the incoming and outgoing traffic is frequency separated, that is, the data is downloaded at one frequency, and the download is at another. When using TDD (Time Division Duplex), both download and upload of data are carried out on the same frequency, only alternately.
From the operator's point of view, it is more profitable to have a TDD network, since it only needs 1 frequency range for both download and output. From the user's point of view, theoretically, it is more profitable to work in the FDD network, since the upstream and downstream traffic goes separately and does not interfere with each other. But in practice, as I noted earlier, the difference will be rather imperceptible.
As for the differences between the rest of the bands, here it is worth noting their range, penetration and capacity. , speed in it.
Band 31 in Russia is currently used only by the operator Tele2, which sells LTE-450 equipment under the Skylink brand. As the operator himself writes, this technology is popular in the most remote and sparsely populated corners with poor coverage of other mobile networks. The range of an LTE-450 base station can cover a radius of up to 20 km, which is 5-6 times more than that of an LTE-2600 base station. It should be noted that this band is not supported by smartphones, only special modems and routers work with it.
The "Big Three" widely uses 3, 7, 20 and 38 bands in Russia, and combines them depending on several factors. The higher the population density and its activity, the higher the frequency is required, since it is necessary to provide high capacity and good speed In the centers of megalopolises, in business districts, in places with high tourist activity, as a rule, 3, 7 and 38 bands are used. In regions where population density and investment in infrastructure is less, Band 20 is used, since in it the base station can cover a sufficiently large radius (up to 13.4 km) with good penetration into buildings, while the speed does not suffer, since there is much fewer users who need LTE. But mainly band20 is used either in absolutely sparsely populated areas, or in large cities as an additional band. That is, even if your device does not support band20, you will not be left without 4G, since the territory will additionally be covered by band 3-7-38.
There is another important factor - the presence of certain frequencies in certain regions from certain operators. Here the operator adjusts not only to the specifics of the location, but also to his portfolio of frequencies. The frequencies themselves were raffled off among operators at auctions that were held in our country several times.
It is also worth noting that Band 3, operating in the 1800 MHz range, is at the same time the frequency at which 2G / 3G communication works. That is, the wider the channel the operator wants to give for LTE, the narrower it will become for 2G / 3G networks, which the majority of Russian subscribers continue to use. Naturally, it is too early to talk about a significant refactoring of 1800 MHz networks, but this is an inevitable future, because the share of 2G / 3G gadgets in relation to 4G devices will gradually fall.
LTE-Advanced or what will happen if you combine several Bands
When it comes to LTE Advanced, the text often contains designations such as LTE cat.4, LTE cat.6 or LTE cat. 9. Let's try to figure out what they mean, but first, what is called "on the fingers", I will explain what LTE Advanced is in general terms.
LTE Advanced is a technology that allows multiple carrier frequency bands to be combined into one channel. So, for example, an operator that uses LTE Advanced takes 1.4-20 MHz from one range, combines them into one "pipe" with 1.4-20 MHz from another range, and the aggregated LTE Advanced standard is obtained at the output. Today it is theoretically possible to combine 5 carriers with a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz, which gives an impressive 100 MHz at the output, but this is just a theory. Now let's see what happens in practice.
The first operator in Russia to use LTE Advanced on its network was Yota, while still an independent operator. It happened on October 9, 2012, but the operator was so far ahead of its time that the launch turned out to be formal, since there were no modems with LTE Advanced support at that time, and Yota did not offer SIM cards for smartphones and tablets.
MegaFon was the first to make a real commercial launch in the spring of 2014. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the operator combined two 20 MHz carriers in Band 7, receiving theoretically available 300 Mbit / s and a network corresponding to the LTE cat category. 6.
In 2015, MegaFon swung at LTE cat. 9 at speeds up to 450 Mbps, which combined 2 20 MHz carriers from Band 7 and another 20 MHz carrier from Band 3. However, it did not go further than testing, since to use such a large channel width in Band 3 ( 1800 MHz), it was required to significantly reduce the capacity of the operator's 2G network.
Beeline, unlike MegaFon, does not have a large number of available frequencies, so its launch of LTE Advanced turned out to be somewhat more modest. At the end of the summer of 2014 in Moscow, the "striped" operator combined Band 7 and Band 20 with a width of 10 MHz and 5 MHz, respectively, having received the maximum possible speed of 112.5 Mbit / s and a network corresponding to the LTE cat category. 4. After that, during the tests, the operator added a third carrier of 20 MHz from Band 3, reaching a maximum speed of 250 Mbps, but such a network was not put into commercial operation. The thing is that 20 MHz in the 1800 MHz range is the entire available Beeline band that is used by the GSM network, and its refactoring into 4G would lead to a triple reduction in the capacity of the existing 2G network.
MTS, in turn, launched the first LTE Advanced network in mid-2015, combining 2 5 MHz bands from Band 3 and 1 5 MHz band from Band 38, which became a problem for most non-top smartphones, since the aggregation of unequal spectrum bands only flagship devices support different bands. But in MTS, depending on the region, another aggregation is also used, which is supported by a wider range of gadgets.
To date, MTS has the fastest network in Bashkortostan, where aggregation of three carriers 1800 + 2600 + 800 MHz with a total bandwidth of up to 35 MHz (20 + 10 + 5) is used, which allows reaching speeds of up to 260 Mbps. But such a network, despite three carriers, corresponds only to the LTE cat category. 4. since the speed does not reach 300 Mbps.
To find out in more detail which operator in your region is already working in LTE Advanced, enter the query "LTE Advanced in [your city]" in the Google or Yandex search box and you will surely find news that will answer this question. If you don’t find what happened to me (Kursk), then no one has launched such a network in your region yet. As for the coverage maps on the operator's websites, only MegaFon provides information about LTE Advanced so far.
As you can see from all of the above, MegaFon has an advantage in frequencies and uses it successfully. Other operators, having a more modest frequency portfolio, are looking at the LTE-U (LTE Unlicensed) standard, which I will discuss below.
LTE-U - the future without licenses, but with restrictions
As I mentioned earlier, LTE technology is unique in that it can operate in different bands from ultra-low to ultra-high, including the 5 GHz band. This frequency is not licensed, that is, uncontrolled by the state, and modern Wi-Fi routers operate on it.
LTE-U (Unlicensed) is a kind of mixture of the usual Wi-Fi and the fourth generation mobile network, and they are compatible with each other. The bottleneck of LTE-U, like Wi-Fi, is the short range of the base station, which makes the technology only suitable for indoor use, such as office buildings and shopping malls. But the unlicensedness of 5 GHz is a plus of the technology, since the operator can install its base stations and cover any premises with an LTE-U network without additional approvals from government agencies.
LTE-U does not exist in isolation, but as an addition to LTE and LTE-Advanced, that is, a user device can simultaneously work in several LTE bands using LTE-A and at the same time use LTE-U resources at the same time, uniting all networks into a single channel, which allows you to reach peak speeds at the level of 1 Gbit / s.
Moreover, Link Aggregation technology is supported, with the help of which you can add speed to your smartphone using home Wi-Fi. That is, being at home, using LTE-U, you can combine the operator's LTE network and home Wi-Fi into a single LTE Unlicensed network, which will use all of the above channels simultaneously for data transmission.
At the moment, Beeline and MTS have expressed interest in LTE-U, which plan to deploy the first LTE-U networks already this 2017. But there are no smartphones on the market that support this technology, although such devices should go on sale soon. It is worth noting that Russia does not lag behind other countries, since not a single LTE Unlicensed network has yet been launched in the world.
Conclusion
Today you learned about the basic terms associated with fourth generation networks, as well as the situation with LTE in Russia. I hope I managed to explain such complex things in simple terms. I will note at the end that I deliberately did not delve into the theory and loaded you with unnecessary information that most would not be interested in.
If you want to know something else about Russian operators, their technologies and networks, you can leave your suggestion in the comments and, perhaps, I will tell you about it in one of the following articles.
27.10.2015
In the previous article, we already looked at third generation standards under the general name ... However, the fourth generation, 4G, is spreading rapidly. The main standard in 4G at the moment is LTE. Strictly speaking, LTE was not the first fourth generation standard, the first widespread was the WiMAX standard. For the first time Yota worked in it, and some operators still use WiMAX. The maximum speed of WiMAX is 40 Mbit / s, but the real indicators are in the range from 10 to 20 Mbit / s.
But back to LTE. It is he who is now most common in the world in general and in Russia in particular. But what is 4G LTE? LTE (from English. Long-Term Evolution) is a wireless high-speed data transmission standard for mobile devices. It is based on all the same GSM / UMTS protocols, but the theoretical and real data transfer rates in LTE networks are much higher, sometimes even surpassing wired connections!
LTE FDD and LTE TDD: what are the differences?
The LTE standard is of two types, the differences between which are quite significant. FDD- Frequency Division Duplex (frequency separation of the incoming and outgoing channel)
TDD- Time Division Duplex (time separation of the incoming and outgoing channel). Roughly speaking, FDD is parallel LTE and TDD is serial LTE. For example, with a channel width of 20 MHz in FDD LTE, part of the range (15 MHz) is given for download, and part (5 MHz) for upload. Thus, the channels do not overlap in frequencies, which allows you to work simultaneously and stably for downloading and uploading data. In TDD LTE, the same 20 MHz channel is completely given both for downloading and for unloading, and data is transmitted to both sides alternately, while download still has priority. In general, FDD LTE is preferable because it is faster and more stable.
LTE frequencies
LTE networks (FDD and TDD) operate on different frequencies in different countries. In many countries, several frequency bands are operated at once. It should be noted that not all equipment can operate on different "bands", ie. frequency ranges. FDD bands are numbered from 1 to 31, TDD bands from 33 to 44. There are additionally several standards that have not yet been assigned numbers. The specifications for frequency bands are called bands (BAND). In Russia and Europe, band 7, band 20, band 3 and band 38 are mainly used.
| FDD LTE bands and frequencies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LTE band number | Upload Frequency Range (MHz) | Frequency range Download (MHz) | Bandwidth (MHz) |
| band 1 | 1920 - 1980 | 2110 - 2170 | 2x60 |
| band 2 | 1850 - 1910 | 1930 - 1990 | 2x60 |
| band 3 | 1710 - 1785 | 1805 -1880 | 2x75 |
| band 4 | 1710 - 1755 | 2110 - 2155 | 2x45 |
| band 5 | 824 - 849 | 869 - 894 | 2x25 |
| band 6 | 830 - 840 | 875 - 885 | 2x10 |
| band 7 | 2500 - 2570 | 2620 - 2690 | 2x70 |
| band 8 | 880 - 915 | 925 - 960 | 2x35 |
| band 9 | 1749.9 - 1784.9 | 1844.9 - 1879.9 | 2x35 |
| band 10 | 1710 - 1770 | 2110 - 2170 | 2x60 |
| band 11 | 1427.9 - 1452.9 | 1475.9 - 1500.9 | 2x20 |
| band 12 | 698 - 716 | 728 - 746 | 2x18 |
| band 13 | 777 - 787 | 746 - 756 | 2x10 |
| band 14 | 788 - 798 | 758 - 768 | 2x10 |
| band 15 | 1900 - 1920 | 2600 - 2620 | 2x20 |
| band 16 | 2010 - 2025 | 2585 - 2600 | 2x15 |
| band 17 | 704 - 716 | 734 - 746 | 2x12 |
| band 18 | 815 - 830 | 860 - 875 | 2x15 |
| band 19 | 830 - 845 | 875 - 890 | 2x15 |
| band 20 | 832 - 862 | 791 - 821 | 2x30 |
| band 21 | 1447.9 - 1462.9 | 1495.5 - 1510.9 | 2x15 |
| band 22 | 3410 - 3500 | 3510 - 3600 | 2x90 |
| band 23 | 2000 - 2020 | 2180 - 2200 | 2x20 |
| band 24 | 1625.5 - 1660.5 | 1525 - 1559 | 2x34 |
| band 25 | 1850 - 1915 | 1930 - 1995 | 2x65 |
| band 26 | 814 - 849 | 859 - 894 | 2x35 |
| band 27 | 807 - 824 | 852 - 869 | 2x17 |
| band 28 | 703 - 748 | 758 - 803 | 2x45 |
| band 29 | n / a | 717 - 728 | 11 |
| band 30 | 2305 - 2315 | 2350 - 2360 | 2x10 |
| band 31 | 452.5 - 457.5 | 462.5 - 467.5 | 2x5 |
| TDD LTE bands and frequencies | ||
|---|---|---|
| LTE band number | Frequency range (MHz) | Bandwidth (MHz) |
| band 33 | 1900 - 1920 | 20 |
| band 34 | 2010 - 2025 | 15 |
| band 35 | 1850 - 1910 | 60 |
| band 36 | 1930 - 1990 | 60 |
| band 37 | 1910 - 1930 | 20 |
| band 38 | 2570 - 2620 | 50 |
| band 39 | 1880 - 1920 | 40 |
| band 40 | 2300 - 2400 | 100 |
| band 41 | 2496 - 2690 | 194 |
| band 42 | 3400 - 3600 | 200 |
| band 43 | 3600 - 3800 | 200 |
| band 44 | 703 - 803 | 100 |
Here is a list of the frequency bands of 4G LTE networks in Russia of the "big five" operators. There are also regional 4G LTE networks of local operators operating in other frequency bands, however, they are not required for this article.
| 4G LTE networks in Russia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Frequency range / ↓ (MHz) | Channel width (MHz) | Duplex type | Strip number |
| Yota | 2500-2530 / 2620-2650 | 2x30 | FDD | band 7 |
| Megaphone | 2530-2540 / 2650-2660 | 2x10 | FDD | band 7 |
| Megaphone | 2575-2595 | 20 | TDD | band 38 |
| MTS | 2540-2550 / 2660-2670 | 2x10 | FDD | band 7 |
| MTS | 2595-2615 | 20 | TDD | band 38 |
| Beeline | 2550-2560 / 2670-2680 | 2x10 | FDD | band 7 |
| Tele 2 | 2560-2570 / 2680-2690 | 2x10 | FDD | band 7 |
| MTS | 1710-1785 / 1805-1880 | 2x75 | FDD | band 3 |
| Tele 2 | 832-839.5 / 791-798.5 | 2x7.5 | FDD | band 20 |
| MTS | 839.5-847 / 798.5-806 | 2x7.5 | FDD | band 20 |
| Megaphone | 847-854.5 / 806-813.5 | 2x7.5 | FDD | band 20 |
| Beeline | 854.5-862 / 813.5-821 | 2x7.5 | FDD | band 20 |
The most important criterion that subscribers are especially interested in, i.e. users of 4G LTE networks, is the data rate. And the speed primarily depends on the width of the frequency range of a particular operator, as well as the type of duplex used in the network. For example, for a 10 MHz channel, the 4G LTE speed will be 75 Mbps. It is with this nominal speed that LTE FDD networks (band 7) of Tele2, MTS and other operators work. And what about Megaphone? And Megafon can afford more. Because Several years ago there was a merger, or rather the absorption by Megafon of Yota, now Megafon also has licenses for Yota frequencies, respectively, the maximum channel width can reach 40 MHz in the frequency range of 2600 MHz (band 7), which in theory gives as much as 300 Mbit / s! But basically, the Megafon 4G network operates in a 15-20 MHz channel, which gives a download speed of 100-150 Mbps. After all, something must be left for Iota.
LTE-Advanced, or 4G +
The next stage in the development of 4G LTE networks is the LTE-A (LTE-Advanced) standard. Some operators call this technology 4G + for marketing purposes, but this is fundamentally incorrect. Those. in fact, it is LTE-Advanced that is the real 4G. Data rates in LTE-A network are significantly faster than conventional LTE. The main feature of LTE-Advanced is frequency band aggregation. A subscriber device with LTE-A support summarizes data transmission channels in different frequency ranges available to the operator. For example, by combining several frequency bands in the 2600 MHz band, it receives a 40 MHz channel, which gives a speed in the LTE-Advanced network of 300 Mbit / s. But this is far from the limit. If you add another 20 MHz from the 1800 MHz band, you get a 60 MHz channel (band 7 + band 3), which is already 450 Mbit / s! In other words, these are theoretical or bench speeds. In reality, of course, they are much smaller, but nevertheless, the LTE-Advanced wireless technology is quite close to wired speeds.
It should be noted that all operators can aggregate different channels in different frequency ranges if they have the appropriate licenses and network infrastructure. The main task is to expand the frequency range. The wider it is, the higher the maximum speed, i.e. network bandwidth. But of course, there must be subscriber equipment that supports LTE-Advanced.
4G LTE Perspectives
Despite the fact that the 4G LTE standard appeared several years ago, there are still no 3G networks in many regions of our country. So there is still room to grow. Networks of the 5th generation (5G) are already being tested in the world, but in real conditions 4G LTE networks will dominate for a long time, since operators are actively developing them.
In many cases, 4G Internet is not only an alternative to a wired connection, but also an uncontested only option, including an economically viable one. Remote objects, the laying of a wire to which is associated with certain difficulties or risks, and sometimes even impossible, also need to be connected. It is often possible to connect 4G internet even where there is no LTE coverage. For this, special that catch and amplify 4G LTE signal. To choose the right antenna, you need to know which operator's network you need to catch, at what frequency it operates, as well as in which duplex mode (FDD or TDD). Our determine the type of signal, measure its parameters, select the appropriate equipment to ensure fast and stable Internet access via the 4G LTE network.
