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Mobile Frequencies Used in Australia

In Australia the frequency bands used for mobile phone communication are governed by the ACMA and influenced by worldwide standards. The frequency bands are auctioned off to the carriers, each getting an allocated frequency range within a particular band.

 

In Australia the current mobile frequency bands can be broken into 800, 900, 1800 and 2100Mhz. From the early years GSM was on the 900/1800 band, with 3G later being introduced on the 2100 band. As the demand for mobile internet and coverage increased the carriers introduced 3G on the 850 and 900 bands. With the recent introduction of 4G the carriers are turning off their GSM 1800 service and using the space to operate a 4G service.

 

In May 2013 the ACMA auctioned off the new 700 Mhz and 2.5 Hz bands that will eventually be used for 4G services. Licences will not be issued until the beginning of 2015.

 

The carriers have chosen to utilise the lower frequency such as 700, 800 and 900 for their primary bands because they offer much better range and building penetration than the higher bands. As a result you will find that these lower bands are widely used in country areas.

 

The higher 1800/2100 bands are very useful to the carriers in highly populated areas due to the increased user capacity that they offer.

Mobile Frequency Bands by Carrier

Mobile Carrier
GSM Band
3G Band
LTE Band
Telstra
Shut Down
850 (NextG)
2100
700
1800
900 (planned)
2600
Optus
Shut down
1 April 2017
900
2100

700
1800
2300 (ACT)
2600

Vodafone
Shut Down Date:
30 September 2017
900
1800
900
2100
850
1800
2100

Mobile Frequencies in Australia

In Australia the frequency bands used for mobile phone communication are governed by the ACMA and influenced by worldwide standards. The frequency bands are auctioned off to the carriers, each getting an allocated frequency range within a particular band.

 

In Australia the current mobile frequency bands can be broken into 800, 900, 1800 and 2100Mhz. From the early years GSM was on the 900/1800 band, with 3G later being introduced on the 2100 band. As the demand for mobile internet and coverage increased the carriers introduced 3G on the 850 and 900 bands. With the recent introduction of 4G the carriers are turning off their GSM 1800 service and using the space to operate a 4G service.

 

In May 2013 the ACMA auctioned off the new 700 Mhz and 2.5 Hz bands that will eventually be used for 4G services. Licences will not be issued until the beginning of 2015.

 

The carriers have chosen to utilise the lower frequency such as 700, 800 and 900 for their primary bands because they offer much better range and building penetration than the higher bands. As a result you will find that these lower bands are widely used in country areas.

 

The higher 1800/2100 bands are very useful to the carriers in highly populated areas due to the increased user capacity that they offer.

Mobile Frequency Bands by Carrier

Mobile Carrier
700 Band (MHz)
800 Band (MHz)
900 Band (MHz)
1800 Band (MHz)
2100 Band (MHz)
Telstra
713-733
768-788
880.0 – 890.0
935.0 – 943.4
1805.0 – 1815.0
1825.0 – 1830.0
Optus
703-713
758-768
943.4 – 951.8
1820.0 – 1822.5
1837.5 – 1850.0
2140.0 – 2150.0
Vodafone
870.0 – 880.0
951.8 – 960.0
2160.0 – 2170.0

Mobile Bands Used in Australia

In Australia the frequency bands used for mobile phone communication are governed by the ACMA and influenced by worldwide standards. The frequency bands are auctioned off to the carriers, each getting an allocated frequency range within a particular band.

 

In Australia the current mobile frequency bands can be broken into 800, 900, 1800 and 2100Mhz. From the early years GSM was on the 900/1800 band, with 3G later being introduced on the 2100 band. As the demand for mobile internet and coverage increased the carriers introduced 3G on the 850 and 900 bands. With the recent introduction of 4G the carriers are turning off their GSM 1800 service and using the space to operate a 4G service.

 

In May 2013 the ACMA auctioned off the new 700 Mhz and 2.5 Hz bands that will eventually be used for 4G services. Licences will not be issued until the beginning of 2015.

 

The carriers have chosen to utilise the lower frequency such as 700, 800 and 900 for their primary bands because they offer much better range and building penetration than the higher bands. As a result you will find that these lower bands are widely used in country areas.

 

The higher 1800/2100 bands are very useful to the carriers in highly populated areas due to the increased user capacity that they offer.

Mobile Frequency Bands by Carrier

Band
Frequency Band (MHz)
Uplink (MHz)
Downlink (MHz)
Mode
1
2100
1920 – 1980
2110 – 2170
FDD
3
1800
1710 – 1785
1805 – 1880
FDD
5
850
824 – 849
869 – 894
FDD
7
2600
2500 – 2570
2620 – 2690
FDD
8
900
880 – 915
925 – 960
FDD
28
APT 700
703 – 748
758 – 803
FDD
40
2300
2300 – 2400
2300 – 2400
TDD