868 MHz β Band & Applications
Frequency
868 MHz
Range
851β869 MHz
Band Group
UHF (300β1000 MHz)
π Summary
868 MHz: Public Safety and Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) downlink paired with 806β824 MHz uplink; Mobile, Fixed; Narrowband/Trunked LMR downlinks; LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices; home automation mesh (sensors, switches); LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers; inventory, access control, asset tracking; utility metering, AMI backhaul
π Explore the full RF Spectrum database
π‘ Band & Geometry key
Field | Value |
---|---|
Wavelength (m) | 0.346 |
Waveforms | Analog/digital PMR, P25, TETRA, LTE, 5G NR |
Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ΒΌ-wave β 8.64 cm |
Band Family | LMR/Public Safety |
Band | 800 MHz Public Safety / SMR β Downlink |
Primary Common Name | Public Safety / SMR DL |
FSPL @ 1 km [dB] | 91.21039450353 |
FSPL @ 10 km [dB] | 111.21039450353 |
Fresnel Radius @ 1 km (m) | 9.2951848195446 |
Band Group | UHF (300β1000 MHz) |
Tax Band Family | UHF |
Tax Band Class | 800/850 MHz Cellular & SMR (806β896) |
π§© Applications & Usage
Field | Value |
---|---|
Primary Application | Public Safety and Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) downlink paired with 806β824 MHz uplink |
Lower Neighbor Use | No adjacent allocation defined |
Upper Neighbor Use | Cellular 850 (CLR) β Downlink |
Typical Services Devices | Narrowband/Trunked LMR downlinks |
Market Common Devices | LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices |
Refarming Use | No |
Device Ecosystem Size | Medium (100β1000 models) |
Device Hotspots (MHz) | 868.40; 868.1/868.3/868.5 |
Device Category | Home Automation (Z-Wave); LoRa / LoRaWAN; UHF RFID (EPC Gen2); Smart Meter / RFLAN |
Typical Use Cases | home automation mesh (sensors, switches); LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers; inventory, access control, asset tracking; utility metering, AMI backhaul |
Modulation (Device) | GFSK; LoRa (CSS); Reader: ASK/PR-ASK; Tag: backscatter; FSK/O-QPSK (802.15.4g) |
Channel Width (Device) [kHz] | ~100; 125β500; 200β500; 50β200 |
Device Region Profiles | US: 908β916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU: 868; US: 902β928; AU/NZ: 915β928; AS923 variants; EU 865β868; US 902β928; US 902β928; EU 868 |
Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) | EU β€14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU β€14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU β€33 dBm EIRP; US up to 36 dBm EIRP (typical); Region-specific; low duty at endpoints |
Allocation Relevance (Device) | ISM/SRD allocations allow low-power HA; ISM LPWAN allocations; SRD/ISM allocations; ISM allocations enable fixed network |
Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/Smart meters/RFID; 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters; Collision with LoRa/Z-Wave/smart meters in 915 band; 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/RFID/Z-Wave |
Example Devices Or Skus | Cellular (2G/3G Legacy Devices) |
Common Protocols | LoRa (868 MHz); Sigfox (regional); Short-Range Devices (SRD); wM-Bus (868 MHz); LTE; 5G NR; GSM/EDGE; UMTS (legacy); Analog FM (12.5 kHz); DMR; P25 (region); TETRA (region) |
ποΈ Notes
Field | Value |
---|---|
Receiver Selectivity Notes | – |
Interference Notes | Adjacent cellular downlinks; filtering needed |
Compatibility Risk Notes | – |
Notes | 800 MHz public safety/SMR base transmit (851β869 MHz): trunked P25/DMR/SMR systems; outcomes of 800βMHz rebanding reflected here. |
Propagation Notes | Strong coverage, good indoor penetration |
βοΈ Technical Rules
Field | Value |
---|---|
Lower Band Frequency Limit | 851 |
Upper Band Frequency Limit | 869 |
EIRP Indoor Limits | Base stations per license |
EIRP Outdoor Limits | Base EIRP per license (high) |
PSD Limit | β |
Emission Mask Class | LMR/SMR trunked |
Guardband Minimum [kHz] | 12.5 |
Typical Bandwidths | 5, 10, 20 MHz |
Autocalculated Bandlimits | No |
Typical Bandwidths (Estimated) | 5, 10, 20 MHz |
Max EIRP [dBm] | EU β€14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU β€14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU β€33 dBm EIRP; US up to 36 dBm EIRP (typical); Region-specific; low duty at endpoints |
Power Source Or Duty Profile (Typical) | Mains or coin-cell depending on node; Battery sensors; mains gateways; Mains readers; passive tags; Mains-powered endpoints and relays |
Channelization Plan | 5, 10, 20 MHz |
Channelization | 25 kHz (legacy); 12.5 kHz narrowband; LTE/NR blocks |
Guard Band Requirement | – |
OOB Emission Limit [dBm/MHz] | -13 (baseline) |
Spurious Emission Limit (dBm) | -30 (baseline) |
RX Blocking Min [dBm] | -15 (planning) |
Duplexing | FDD |
Duplexing Information | FDD: 806β824 MHz (PS/SMR UL) uplink / 851β869 MHz (PS/SMR DL) downlink |
Uplink Pairing | 806β824 MHz (PS/SMR UL) |
Downlink Pairing | 851β869 MHz (PS/SMR DL) |
Paired Band Info | – |
Max EIRP [dBm] | – |
Channelization Block Size | – |
3GPP Band Number | |
Example 3GPP Bands | – |
LTE Uplink Bands | – |
LTE Downlink Bands | Band 26 |
NR Uplink Bands | – |
NR Downlink Bands | n26 |
Guard Bands | – |
Protocol Or Standard | Z-Wave / Z-Wave Plus; LoRaWAN; EPC Gen2 / ISO 18000-6C; Proprietary FHSS / IEEE 802.15.4g |
π Country Overrides
Field | Value |
---|---|
Post Status | publish |
Tax Service Category | Other / Various |
Tax License Type | Licensed / Service-Specific |
Tax Regions | Global / Varies |
ITU Region 1 | Mobile, Fixed |
ITU Region 2 | Mobile, Fixed |
ITU Region 3 | Mobile, Fixed |
License Type | Licensed public safety / SMR |
Primary Application | Public Safety and Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) downlink paired with 806β824 MHz uplink |
Primary Services | Mobile, Fixed |
Spurious Emission [dBm] | -30 (baseline) |
Lower Neighbor Use | No adjacent allocation defined |
Upper Neighbor Use | Cellular 850 (CLR) β Downlink |
Licensing Model | Licensed (Public safety / LMR) |
Typical Services Devices | Narrowband/Trunked LMR downlinks |
US FCC Alloc | Public Safety / LMR (Downlink)β |
CA IC Alloc | Public Safety / LMR (Downlink)β |
UK Ofcom Alloc | LMR (regional)β |
US Ref | 47 CFR Part 90 (Private Land Mobile) |
Typical Bandwidths | 5, 10, 20 MHz |
Market Licensing Model | Auctioned (IMT) |
Market Common Devices | LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices |
Fresnel Radius (1st, 1 km) [m] | 9.2951848195446 |
Typical Bandwidths (Estimated) | 5, 10, 20 MHz |
Auction Status | – |
Refarming Use | No |
Typical Site Spacing km | 2 / 8 |
Device Ecosystem Size | Medium (100β1000 models) |
Traffic Load Share | Coverage-heavy, low capacity share |
Device Hotspots (MHz) | 868.40; 868.1/868.3/868.5 |
Device Category | Home Automation (Z-Wave); LoRa / LoRaWAN; UHF RFID (EPC Gen2); Smart Meter / RFLAN |
Typical Use Cases | home automation mesh (sensors, switches); LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers; inventory, access control, asset tracking; utility metering, AMI backhaul |
Typical Center Frequencies [MHz] | US 908.42; EU 868.40; AU/NZ 921.40; EU 868 (125 kHz); US 915 (125/500 kHz); EU 433; EU 865β868; US 902β928; 902β928 (US); 868 (EU) |
Rule Part (Fcc Or Region) | FCC Part 15.247; ETSI EN 300 220; FCC Part 15.247; ETSI EN 302 208 |
Modulation (Device) | GFSK; LoRa (CSS); Reader: ASK/PR-ASK; Tag: backscatter; FSK/O-QPSK (802.15.4g) |
Channel Width (Device) [kHz] | ~100; 125β500; 200β500; 50β200 |
Device Region Profiles | US: 908β916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU: 868; US: 902β928; AU/NZ: 915β928; AS923 variants; EU 865β868; US 902β928; US 902β928; EU 868 |
Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) | EU β€14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU β€14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU β€33 dBm EIRP; US up to 36 dBm EIRP (typical); Region-specific; low duty at endpoints |
Allocation Relevance (Device) | ISM/SRD allocations allow low-power HA; ISM LPWAN allocations; SRD/ISM allocations; ISM allocations enable fixed network |
Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/Smart meters/RFID; 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters; Collision with LoRa/Z-Wave/smart meters in 915 band; 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/RFID/Z-Wave |
Example Devices Or Skus | Cellular (2G/3G Legacy Devices) |
Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ΒΌ-wave β 8.64 cm |
Power Source Or Duty Profile (Typical) | Mains or coin-cell depending on node; Battery sensors; mains gateways; Mains readers; passive tags; Mains-powered endpoints and relays |
π‘οΈ Regulatory & Neighbors
Field | Value |
---|---|
Lower Band Frequency Limit | 851 |
Upper Band Frequency Limit | 869 |
Rx Blocking Min dBm | -15 (planning) |
Lower Neighbor Use | No adjacent allocation defined |
Upper Neighbor Use | Cellular 850 (CLR) β Downlink |
Lower Neighbor Band | Cellular 850 (CLR) β Uplink (segment) |
Lower Neighbor Range | 836.000β849.000 MHz |
Upper Neighbor Label | Cellular 850 (CLR) β Downlink |
Upper Neighbor Range | 870.000β894.000 MHz |
Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/Smart meters/RFID; 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters; Collision with LoRa/Z-Wave/smart meters in 915 band; 915 MHz congestion with LoRa/RFID/Z-Wave |
Real-World Range (Indoor/Outdoor) | Indoor 10β30 m (node to node); mesh extends coverage; Urban 1β3 km; Suburban 2β10 km; Rural 10β20+ km; Gates/portals up to several meters; handheld shorter; Urban street-scale mesh; hub range hundreds of meters |
US FCC Alloc | Public Safety / LMR (Downlink)Public Safety / LMR (Downlink) |
CA IC Alloc | Public Safety / LMR (Downlink)Public Safety / LMR (Downlink) |
UK Ofcom Alloc | LMR (regional)LMR (regional) |
Regulatory References | US: 47 CFR Part 90 (Private Land Mobile); CA: ISED RSSβ119 (Land Mobile 27.41β960 MHz); UK: Ofcom PMR/Business Radio (UK FAT) |
Global Harmonization | Global |
Crossborder Coordination | High |
Sharing Mechanism | – |
Auction Status | – |
Guard Or Pair | – |
π Market & Measurements
Field | Value |
---|---|
Noise Floor | -110 dBm (est.) |
Interference Cases | – |
Lower Neighbor Range | 836.000β849.000 MHz |
Upper Neighbor Range | 870.000β894.000 MHz |
Interference Notes | Adjacent cellular downlinks; filtering needed |
Market Licensing Model | Auctioned (IMT) |
Market Commercial Value | High-value IMT band |
Market Common Devices | LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices |
Market Deployment Density | Dense urban, broad rural coverage |
Noise Floor (Estimated) | -110 dBm (est.) |
Market Commercial Value (Estimated) | High-value IMT band |
Ecosystem Maturity | Emerging |
Indoor Penetration | Good |
Known Interference | No major interference issues noted |
Device Ecosystem Size | Medium (100β1000 models) |
Real-World Range (Indoor/Outdoor) | Indoor 10β30 m (node to node); mesh extends coverage; Urban 1β3 km; Suburban 2β10 km; Rural 10β20+ km; Gates/portals up to several meters; handheld shorter; Urban street-scale mesh; hub range hundreds of meters |
Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ΒΌ-wave β 8.64 cm |
Ecosystem Maturity | Emerging |
Device Ecosystem Size | Medium (100β1000 models) |
Chipset Availability | Specialized vendors (Motorola, Airbus) |
Operator Deployments | Regional/national public safety agencies |
Technology Generations Deployed | LMR / TETRA digital voice |
Roaming Support | No |
Traffic Load Share | Coverage-heavy, low capacity share |
Indoor Penetration | Good |
Known Interference | No major interference issues noted |
Occupancy | Medium |
Occupancy Bucket Pct | 10β30% |
Latency Profile | – |
Common Channels Or Profiles | US: 908β916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU868: 863β870; US915: 902β928; EU433: 433.05β434.79; Reader channels regional; listen-before-talk in EU; FHSS sub-bands; utility-specific profiles |
Security Features | AES-128 (S2); AES-128 network/app keys; Readerβtag security varies by generation; AES-128 or stronger (utility) |
Lbt Or Fhss Requirement | Region dependent (LBT in EU; hopping/dwell in US); EU: LBT/duty-cycle; US: hopping/dwell; EU: LBT; US: hopping/dwell; FHSS/LBT as region requires |
Popularity (Installed Base) | High |
Coexistence Tips | Spread nodes; avoid metal enclosures; choose less-crowded channels; Use sub-band plans; ADR; avoid continuous beacons; Directional antennas; duty limits; channel planning; Antenna height; avoid same sub-band as neighbors |
Latency Class | Low/Interactive; Not critical / ALOHA; Low/Interactive (reader-driven); Not critical / scheduled |
Device Hotspots (Scoped && Tagged) | EU (Region 1): 868.4 |