Verizon's C-band network showed decent range in testing in a dense part of Queens, NY.Ĭell distance is a tricky thing. The government auctioned off 280MHz of airwaves in the main C-band, and another 100MHz in 3.45, that are likely to go up to about a half-mile from each tower, so plenty of bandwidth for several different wireless carriers to have solid 5G using mostly existing cell sites. So by and large, AT&T and Verizon are delivering 5G that's either no faster than LTE would be on the same frequencies or has poor range.Ĭ-band can fix this. Verizon may be able to pull something together using the new CBRS airwaves just below the C-band, but the jury's still out on that. Right now, AT&T and Verizon aren't using any airwaves that fit these bills. For 5G to cover entire cities, it needs to be on a frequency below about 6GHz, so it can get decent range from towers. For 5G to offer an experience that's noticeably better than 4G, it needs broad, dedicated channels, ideally 50MHz or wider. The state of 5G in the US is pretty rough right now. Mid-band, including C-band, is the world's most popular form of 5G. With more advanced methods of digital encoding than they had in the 1970s, the satellite companies can now "repack" their broadcasts into the upper portion of the C-band, leaving the lower portion available for cellular companies to use. C-band is currently used for the "satellite downlink" for broadcast television distribution. The main C-band frequencies have been used for satellite TV (Opens in a new window) since the 1970s, but because C-band satellite reception requires "big, ugly dishes" up to 10 feet in diameter, they largely got replaced by more flexible systems with smaller dishes on the Ku band, such as Dish and DirecTV. Nobody has really settled on what to call these-they're "3.45," "DoD" (the military used them), or even "Andromeda." But they have a lot in common with the C-band spectrum, so we include them in this explainer. There's another chunk of airwaves involved, too, from 3.45 to 3.55GHz. When US wireless geeks talk about C-band, though, they're talking about 3.7 to 4.2GHz-and specifically, in this case, the ranges from 3.7 to 3.98GHz (Opens in a new window). But what is C-band, and what does it mean for 5G? Do you need a C-band phone? Is C-band a new frequency? Should you be scared of C-band? We can explain.Īccording to wireless testing firm Rohde and Schwarz, the C-band is all frequencies between 4 and 8GHz. And, knock on wood, so far we've seen neither major flight disruptions nor any danger to air safety.Īfter two years of AT&T's and Verizon's "nationwide 5G" networks feeling much like 4G, C-band could finally majorly multiply speeds. Planes did not fall out of the sky.ĪT&T and Verizon recently turned on their C-band 5G networks after months of dispute with the airlines and FAA.
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