868 MHz β€” Band & Applications

868 MHz β€” Band & Applications

πŸ“‘

Frequency
868 MHz
🧭

Range
851–869 MHz
🧩

Band Group
UHF (300–1000 MHz)

🌐 Summary

868 MHz: Public Safety and Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) downlink paired with 806–824 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

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πŸ“‘ 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‰ˆ 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 (300–1000 MHz)
Tax Band Family UHF
Tax Band Class 800/850 MHz Cellular & SMR (806–896)

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🧩 Applications & Usage

Field Value
Primary Application Public Safety and Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) downlink paired with 806–824 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 (100–1000 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; 125–500; 200–500; 50–200
Device Region Profiles US: 908–916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU: 868; US: 902–928; AU/NZ: 915–928; AS923 variants; EU 865–868; US 902–928; US 902–928; EU 868
Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) EU ≀14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU ≀14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU ≀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)

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πŸ—’οΈ Notes

Field Value
Receiver Selectivity Notes
Interference Notes Adjacent cellular downlinks; filtering needed
Compatibility Risk Notes
Notes 800 MHz public safety/SMR base transmit (851–869 MHz): trunked P25/DMR/SMR systems; outcomes of 800‑MHz rebanding reflected here.
Propagation Notes Strong coverage, good indoor penetration

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βš™οΈ 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 ≀14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU ≀14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU ≀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: 806–824 MHz (PS/SMR UL) uplink / 851–869 MHz (PS/SMR DL) downlink
Uplink Pairing 806–824 MHz (PS/SMR UL)
Downlink Pairing 851–869 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

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🌎 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 806–824 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)–

CA IC Alloc Public Safety / LMR (Downlink)–

UK Ofcom Alloc LMR (regional)–

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 (100–1000 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 865–868; US 902–928; 902–928 (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; 125–500; 200–500; 50–200
Device Region Profiles US: 908–916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU: 868; US: 902–928; AU/NZ: 915–928; AS923 variants; EU 865–868; US 902–928; US 902–928; EU 868
Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) EU ≀14 dBm EIRP; US varies by hopping/dwell; EU ≀14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway); EU ≀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‰ˆ 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

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πŸ›‘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 836.000–849.000 MHz
Upper Neighbor Label Cellular 850 (CLR) β€” Downlink
Upper Neighbor Range 870.000–894.000 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 10–30 m (node to node); mesh extends coverage; Urban 1–3 km; Suburban 2–10 km; Rural 10–20+ 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 RSS‑119 (Land Mobile 27.41–960 MHz); UK: Ofcom PMR/Business Radio (UK FAT)
Global Harmonization Global
Crossborder Coordination High
Sharing Mechanism
Auction Status
Guard Or Pair

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πŸ“ˆ Market & Measurements

Field Value
Noise Floor -110 dBm (est.)
Interference Cases
Lower Neighbor Range 836.000–849.000 MHz
Upper Neighbor Range 870.000–894.000 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 (100–1000 models)
Real-World Range (Indoor/Outdoor) Indoor 10–30 m (node to node); mesh extends coverage; Urban 1–3 km; Suburban 2–10 km; Rural 10–20+ 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‰ˆ 8.64 cm
Ecosystem Maturity Emerging
Device Ecosystem Size Medium (100–1000 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 10–30%
Latency Profile
Common Channels Or Profiles US: 908–916; EU: 868.4; AU/NZ: ~921; EU868: 863–870; US915: 902–928; EU433: 433.05–434.79; Reader channels regional; listen-before-talk in EU; FHSS sub-bands; utility-specific profiles
Security Features AES-128 (S2); AES-128 network/app keys; Reader–tag 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

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