📡
Frequency
870 MHz
Frequency
870 MHz
🧭
Range
869–894 MHz
Range
869–894 MHz
🧩
Band Group
UHF (300–1000 MHz)
Band Group
UHF (300–1000 MHz)
🌐 Summary
The 870 MHz allocation is part of the UHF (300–1000 MHz) spectrum. This range is used worldwide for critical applications that keep our communications and infrastructure running smoothly. On this page we highlight how each band is applied in real systems, from regulatory assignments to everyday devices. Our goal is to make spectrum data clear and practical for engineers, regulators, and enthusiasts alike.
Key uses of this band include: 870 MHz: Cellular downlink paired with 824–849 MHz uplink; Mobile, Fixed; GSM/UMTS/LTE/NR downlink; LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices; LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers.
Cellular 850 downlink (3GPP Band 5/26 DL 869–894 MHz); paired with 824–849 MHz uplink.
🔍 Explore the full RF Spectrum database
📡 Band & Geometry key
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Wavelength (m) | 0.345 |
| Waveforms | GSM, CDMA, UMTS, LTE, 5G NR |
| Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ¼-wave ≈ 8.62 cm |
| Band Family | IMT/Cellular |
| Band | Cellular 850 (CLR) — Downlink |
| Primary Common Name | Cellular 850 DL |
| FSPL @ 1 km [dB] | 91.230385052372 |
| FSPL @ 10 km [dB] | 111.23038505237 |
| Fresnel Radius @ 1 km (m) | 9.2844945516953 |
| Band Group | UHF (300–1000 MHz) |
| Tax Band Family | UHF |
| Tax Band Class | 800/850 MHz Cellular & SMR (806–896) Band |
🧩 Applications & Usage
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Primary Application | Cellular downlink paired with 824–849 MHz uplink |
| Lower Neighbor Use | 800 MHz Public Safety / SMR — Downlink |
| Upper Neighbor Use | 900 MHz (Band 8) — Uplink segment |
| Typical Services Devices | GSM/UMTS/LTE/NR downlink |
| Market Common Devices | LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices |
| Refarming Use | No |
| Device Ecosystem Size | High (>1000 models) |
| Device Hotspots (MHz) | 868.1/868.3/868.5 |
| Device Category | LoRa / LoRaWAN |
| Typical Use Cases | LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers |
| Modulation (Device) | LoRa (CSS) |
| Channel Width (Device) [kHz] | 125–500 |
| Device Region Profiles | EU: 868; US: 902–928; AU/NZ: 915–928; AS923 variants |
| Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) | EU ≤14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway) |
| Allocation Relevance (Device) | ISM LPWAN allocations |
| Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters |
| 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) |
🗒️ Notes
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Receiver Selectivity Notes | – |
| Interference Notes | Intermod risks with high‑power sites |
| Compatibility Risk Notes | – |
| Notes | Cellular 850 downlink (3GPP Band 5/26 DL 869–894 MHz); paired with 824–849 MHz uplink. |
| Propagation Notes | Strong coverage, good indoor penetration |
⚙️ Technical Rules
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Lower Band Frequency Limit | 869 |
| Upper Band Frequency Limit | 894 |
| EIRP Indoor Limits | Base DL small cells per license |
| EIRP Outdoor Limits | Base DL EIRP per license (high) |
| PSD Limit | 3GPP BS mask |
| Emission Mask Class | 3GPP Band 5/26 DL |
| Guardband Minimum [kHz] | 100 |
| Typical Bandwidths | 200 kHz–20 MHz |
| Autocalculated Bandlimits | No |
| Typical Bandwidths (Estimated) | 200 kHz–20 MHz |
| Max EIRP [dBm] | EU ≤14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway) |
| Power Source Or Duty Profile (Typical) | Battery sensors; mains gateways |
| Channelization Plan | 200 kHz–20 MHz |
| Channelization | 1.25 MHz (CDMA legacy); 5 MHz (LTE/NR typical) |
| 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 DL paired with 824–849 |
| Uplink Pairing | 824–849 MHz (Cellular UL) |
| Downlink Pairing | 869–894 MHz (Cellular DL) |
| Paired Band Info | Band 5/26 (850 Cellular): 824.0-849.0 MHz ↔ 869.0-894.0 MHz |
| Max EIRP [dBm] | UE: 23 dBm, BS: up to 64 dBm |
| Channelization Block Size | 200 kHz GSM / LTE flexible blocks |
| 3GPP Band Number | |
| Example 3GPP Bands | LTE/NR Band 5 (n5) DL |
| LTE Uplink Bands | – |
| LTE Downlink Bands | Band 5, Band 26 |
| NR Uplink Bands | – |
| NR Downlink Bands | n5, n26 |
| Guard Bands | Guard bands at band edges |
| Protocol Or Standard | LoRaWAN |
🌎 Country Overrides
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Tax Service Category | Other / Various |
| Tax License Type | Licensed / Service-Specific |
| Tax Regions | Global / Varies |
| ITU Region 1 (Europe, Africa, Middle East (west of Persian Gulf), Western Russia & Mongolia) | Mobile, Fixed |
| ITU Region 2 (North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean, Greenland, Eastern Pacific Islands (Americas region)) | Mobile, Fixed |
| ITU Region 3 (Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, Oceania, Indian Subcontinent, East Asia & Southeast Asia) | Mobile, Fixed |
| License Type | Licensed mobile (cellular 850/CLR) |
| Primary Application | Cellular downlink paired with 824–849 MHz uplink |
| Primary Services | Mobile, Fixed |
| Spurious Emission [dBm] | -30 (baseline) |
| Lower Neighbor Use | 800 MHz Public Safety / SMR — Downlink |
| Upper Neighbor Use | 900 MHz (Band 8) — Uplink segment |
| Licensing Model | Auctioned (Cellular 850 Downlink) |
| Typical Services Devices | GSM/UMTS/LTE/NR downlink |
| US FCC Alloc | Cellular 850 Downlink (Band 5)– |
| CA IC Alloc | Cellular 850 Downlink– |
| UK Ofcom Alloc | 900/850 legacy (regional)– |
| US Ref | 47 CFR Part 22 (Cellular 850) / Part 27 |
| Typical Bandwidths | 200 kHz–20 MHz |
| Market Licensing Model | Auctioned (IMT) |
| Market Common Devices | LTE/NR smartphones, legacy GSM/CDMA devices |
| Fresnel Radius (1st, 1 km) [m] | 9.2844945516953 |
| Typical Bandwidths (Estimated) | 200 kHz–20 MHz |
| Auction Status | – |
| Refarming Use | No |
| Typical Site Spacing km | 2 / 8 |
| Device Ecosystem Size | High (>1000 models) |
| Traffic Load Share | Coverage-heavy, low capacity share |
| Device Hotspots (MHz) | 868.1/868.3/868.5 |
| Device Category | LoRa / LoRaWAN |
| Typical Use Cases | LPWAN sensors/meters/trackers |
| Typical Center Frequencies [MHz] | EU 868 (125 kHz); US 915 (125/500 kHz); EU 433 |
| Rule Part (Fcc Or Region) | FCC Part 15.247; ETSI EN 300 220 |
| Modulation (Device) | LoRa (CSS) |
| Channel Width (Device) [kHz] | 125–500 |
| Device Region Profiles | EU: 868; US: 902–928; AU/NZ: 915–928; AS923 variants |
| Per-Region EIRP Or Duty (Device) | EU ≤14 dBm; US up to 30 dBm class (gateway) |
| Allocation Relevance (Device) | ISM LPWAN allocations |
| Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters |
| Example Devices Or Skus | Cellular (2G/3G Legacy Devices) |
| Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ¼-wave ≈ 8.62 cm |
| Power Source Or Duty Profile (Typical) | Battery sensors; mains gateways |
🛡️ Regulatory & Neighbors
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Lower Band Frequency Limit | 869 |
| Upper Band Frequency Limit | 894 |
| Rx Blocking Min dBm | -15 (planning) |
| Lower Neighbor Use | 800 MHz Public Safety / SMR — Downlink |
| Upper Neighbor Use | 900 MHz (Band 8) — Uplink segment |
| Lower Neighbor Band | 800 MHz Public Safety / SMR — Downlink |
| Lower Neighbor Range | 851.000–869.000 MHz |
| Upper Neighbor Label | 900 MHz (Band 8) — Uplink segment |
| Upper Neighbor Range | 895.000–901.000 MHz |
| Adjacent-Band Collision Risks (Device) | 915 MHz overlaps Z-Wave/RFID/smart meters |
| Real-World Range (Indoor/Outdoor) | Urban 1–3 km; Suburban 2–10 km; Rural 10–20+ km |
| US FCC Alloc | Cellular 850 Downlink (Band 5)Cellular 850 Downlink (Band 5) |
| CA IC Alloc | Cellular 850 DownlinkCellular 850 Downlink |
| UK Ofcom Alloc | 900/850 legacy (regional)900/850 legacy (regional) |
| Regulatory References | US: 47 CFR Part 22 (Cellular 850) / Part 27; CA: ISED RSS‑132 (Cellular); UK: UK FAT (IMT 800/900) |
| Global Harmonization | Global |
| Crossborder Coordination | High |
| Sharing Mechanism | – |
| Auction Status | – |
| Guard Or Pair | – |
📈 Market & Measurements
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Noise Floor | -110 dBm (est.) |
| Interference Cases | – |
| Lower Neighbor Range | 851.000–869.000 MHz |
| Upper Neighbor Range | 895.000–901.000 MHz |
| Interference Notes | Intermod risks with high‑power sites |
| 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 | Mature |
| Indoor Penetration | Good |
| Known Interference | No major interference issues noted |
| Device Ecosystem Size | High (>1000 models) |
| Real-World Range (Indoor/Outdoor) | Urban 1–3 km; Suburban 2–10 km; Rural 10–20+ km |
| Antenna Form Factor (Typical) | ¼-wave ≈ 8.62 cm |
| Ecosystem Maturity | Mature |
| Device Ecosystem Size | High (>1000 models) |
| Chipset Availability | Qualcomm, MediaTek, HiSilicon |
| Operator Deployments | Global Tier-1 operators |
| Technology Generations Deployed | Multiple / TBD |
| Roaming Support | Yes |
| 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 | EU868: 863–870; US915: 902–928; EU433: 433.05–434.79 |
| Security Features | AES-128 network/app keys |
| Lbt Or Fhss Requirement | EU: LBT/duty-cycle; US: hopping/dwell |
| Popularity (Installed Base) | High |
| Coexistence Tips | Use sub-band plans; ADR; avoid continuous beacons |
| Latency Class | Not critical / ALOHA |
| Device Hotspots (Scoped && Tagged) | – |
