SpectrumWiki

Radio spectrum allocations

Look up a frequency or a range.

Examples: 88.5 MHz, 1350–1430 MHz, 2.4 GHz

3.999999999 GHz (3,999,999,999 Hz)

U.S. Federal Government Allocations

3700 – 4200 MHz

ITU Region 1 Allocations

3600 – 4200 MHz

FIXED

FIXED-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)

Mobile

ITU Region 2 Allocations

3700 – 4200 MHz

FIXED

FIXED-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)

MOBILE except aeronautical mobile

ITU Region 3 Allocations

3700 – 4200 MHz

FIXED

FIXED-SATELLITE (space-to-Earth)

MOBILE except aeronautical mobile

Footnotes

  • NG182 In the band 3700-4200 MHz, the following provisions shall apply:

      (a) Except as provided in paragraph (c)(1), any currently authorized space stations serving the contiguous United States may continue to operate on a primary basis, but no applications for new space station authorizations or new petitions for market access shall be accepted for filing after June 21, 2018, other than applications by existing operators in the band seeking to make more efficient use of the band 4000-4200 MHz. Applications for extension, cancellation, replacement, or modification of existing space station authorizations in the band will continue to be accepted and processed normally.

      (b) In areas outside the contiguous United States, the band 3700-4000 MHz is also allocated to the fixed-satellite service (space-to-Earth) on a primary basis.

      (c) In the contiguous United States, i.e., the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia as defined by Partial Economic Areas Nos. 1-41, 43-211, 213-263, 265-297, 299-359, and 361-411, which includes areas within 12 nautical miles of the U.S. Gulf coastline (see § 27.6(m) of this chapter), the following provisions apply:

        (1) Incumbent use of the fixed-satellite service (space-to-Earth) in the band 3700-4000 MHz is subject to the provisions of §§ 25.138, 25.147, 25.203(n) and part 27, subpart O of this chapter;

        (2) Fixed service licensees authorized as of April 19, 2018, pursuant to part 101 of this chapter, must self-relocate their point-to-point links out of the band 3700-4200 MHz by December 5, 2023;

        (3) In the band 3980-4000 MHz, no new fixed or mobile operations will be permitted until specified by Commission rule, order, or notice.

  • NG457A  Earth stations on vessels (ESVs), as regulated under 47 CFR part 25, are an application of the fixed-satellite service and the following provisions shall apply:

      (a) In the band 3700-4200 MHz, ESVs may be authorized to receive FSS signals from geostationary satellites. ESVs in motion are subject to the condition that these earth stations may not claim protection from transmissions of non-Federal stations in the fixed and mobile except aeronautical mobile services. While docked, ESVs receiving in the band 4000-4200 MHz may be coordinated for up to 180 days, renewable. NG182 applies to incumbent licensees that provide service to ESVs in the band 3700-4000 MHz.

      (b) In the band 5925-6425 MHz, ESVs may be authorized to transmit to geostationary satellites on a primary basis.

Wiki entries

4 GHz Fixed Service Band

Current Use
3700–4200 MHz
The 4 GHz fixed service band is shared on a co-primary basis with the Fixed Satellite Service. The very large number of registered C-band receive-only earth stations, each one entitled to interference protection, has largely ruled out the frequency coordination of new 4 GHz fixed service links in much of the country.

Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave

Current Use
3700–4200 MHz Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave (max bandwidth 20 MHz)
These bands are permitted for use by common carrier fixed point-to-point microwave systems under Part 101, Subparts C & I of the FCC rules.

Geostationary Fixed Satellite Service (GSO FSS)

Current Use
3700–4200 MHz C-band GSO FSS Downlink
The "C-band" is the workhorse of the Geostationary Fixed Satellite Service (GSO FSS), with 3.7—4.2 GHz the downlink band and its associated uplink 5.925—6.425 GHz. More generally, the 4—8 GHz spectrum is designated as C-band.

Cable TV networks use the C-band to provide programming to cable systems. Program package providers directly serve viewers with home satellite dish receivers (Direct-to-Home FSS or DTH-FSS, a service also available in the Ku-band, see 11.7—12.2 GHz).

Many radio stations receive programming by C-band satellite, and international telephone and data traffic travel over the satellites of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat) and its competitors in the 4/6 and 11/14 GHz bands.

The C-band also is used for tracking, telemetry, and control (TTC) of satellites while transferring them to final orbit position. Satellite operators want to expand TTC to adjacent spectrum (see 3.65—3.7 GHz).

UK Broadband

Current Use
3925–4009 MHz UK Broadband TD-LTE
According to a UK Broadband press release (c. 2012):

UK Broadband, the UK’s largest holder of 4G spectrum, has today announced that it has switched on its first 4G LTE system in London. This is the first TD-LTE 3.5GHz deployment in the world and the first commercial 4G deployment in the UK. UK Broadband (UKB) is building its network using Huawei’s Time Division Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) solution.

UKB will operate a wholesale model, working with partners to offer commercial services from May 2012 to businesses, consumers and the public sector. The network will initially cover the Southbank and Borough areas of Southwark.

The network will use UKB’s 124MHz of spectrum in LTE bands 42 and 43 (3.5GHz and 3.6GHz). This allows the deployment of 6 x 20MHz wide channels that will enable UKB to deliver LTE Advanced speeds and enough capacity across the network to deliver Next Generation Access superfast broadband speeds to a large number of users simultaneously.

The first devices, jointly developed by UKB and Huawei, include indoor and outdoor units for high-speed wireless broadband to homes and businesses within the coverage area. Multi-mode mobile devices supporting TD-LTE, FD-LTE and 3G will be available from September 2012.

“We’re very excited to be switching on our first TD-LTE system in the UK using our 4G spectrum,” said Nicholas James, UKB’s CEO. “We’re working with Huawei because we believe they have the expertise and experience we need to deliver the best solution.”

"Utilising Huawei’s equipment, UKB’s spectrum and our combined expertise, the availability of LTE in the UK from today will give a significant boost to the UK’s Government’s broadband agenda,” said Victor Zhang, CEO of Huawei UK. “We are proud to be involved in this project and are dedicated to supporting UKB and the Government to help connect more people to high speed wireless broadband networks.’’

UKB’s business model is to build bespoke LTE coverage – large or small – that delivers solutions to where there is demand for high speed wireless/mobile data capacity. Usually this will be as a result of developing a solution for an anchor or core customer.

UKB has chosen TD LTE because typically, significantly more data is downloaded than uploaded. Designed specifically to meeting the growing demand for data capacity, TD LTE allows UKB to dynamically manage the network to maximise the download capacity at all times, optimising both the technology and the wide spectrum bands it has available to deliver a very high download capacity.