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Australian Mobile Network Frequencies

There are many different mobile phone frequencies in operation in Australia and around the world. This post aims to clear up any misunderstandings you may have as to the frequencies your phone requires to work correctly on your carrier.

Australian Mobile Network Frequencies Summary

2G/GSM

Shutdown

Telstra shutdown its 2G network on the 1st of December 2016 for all areas except Christmas Island which continues to have 2G for voice and SMS only.

Optus and Vodafone shut down their 2G Networks during 2017 – 2018.

The shutdown of 2G networks means that any device, including GPS trackers and alarms (or SIM slot if a dual SIM handset), that only has support for 2G/GSM will no longer have access to any Australian mobile network.

The shutdown will also impact handsets that don’t support the mandatory bands applicable to the carrier it is used on, see below:

The Australian external territory of Christmas Island is the only area still served by 2G.

2G bands – Australian external territories

900MHz – Telstra (Christmas Island only)

3G/UMTS

3G bands

850MHz (B5) – Telstra
900MHz (B8) – Vodafone, Optus
2100MHz (B1) – Optus

Former 3G bands

850MHz (B5) – Vodafone
2100MHz (B1) – Telstra (3G 2100 Exit 25 March 2019), Vodafone (Re-farmed to 4G end of 2019)

3G bands – Australian external territories

850MHz (B5) – Norfolk Island Telecom (Norfolk Island)

Mandatory handset 3G band support

Telstra – 3G 850MHz (B5)
Optus – 3G 900MHz (B8)
Vodafone – 3G 900MHz (B8)

4G/LTE

4G bands

Australia is currently using these LTE bands:
2100MHz (B1) – Telstra (a handful of sites), Optus, Vodafone
1800MHz (B3) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
850MHz (B5) – Vodafone
2600MHz (B7) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
900MHz (B8) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
700MHz (B28) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
2300MHz (B40) – Optus

Note the 2300MHz listed above was for Vivid Wireless and is only available in some of the Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane metro areas: i.e. not in NBN fixed wireless areas.

4G bands – Australian external territories

1800MHz (B3) – Norfolk Island Data Services (Norfolk Island)

700MHz (B28) – Norfolk Island Telecom (Norfolk Island)

1800MHz (B3) – Speedcast Christmas Island (Christmas Island)

1800MHz (B3) – Cocos Island Community (Cocos Islands)

5G/NR

5G bands

3500MHz (n78) – Telstra (from May 2019)

3500MHz (n78) – Optus (from October 2019)

3500MHz (n78) – Vodafone (from March 2020)

2300MHZ (n40) – Optus (from June 2020)

700MHz (n28) – Vodafone (from November 2020)

850MHz (n5) – Telstra (from April 2020)


Australian band details

2G

2G, 2nd generation mobile phones, use either the GSM codec or CDMA codec. CDMA in Australia (Orange, Telstra) was on the 850MHz frequency which is now used for 3G. Most new phones come with quad-band GSM, which supports 850, 900, 1800, and 1900MHz.

2G is an old technology and provided a fall back position when 3G and 4G coverage was unavailable.

Australian 2G bands:

  • 900MHz – Norfolk Island Telecom (Norfolk Island)
  • 900MHz – Telstra (Christmas Island only)

3G

There are several 3G networks operating in Australia. 3G frequencies are usually specified as UMTS/HSDPA or WCDMA codecs on the mobile phone specifications.

Australian 3G bands:

  • 850MHz (B5) – Telstra
  • 900MHz (B8) – Optus, Vodafone – available in most metro areas on Optus, with both Optus and Vodafone re-farming the 2G 900 spectrum in regional and rural areas
  • 2100MHz (B1) – Optus, Vodafone *(Vodafone are progressively re-farming 2100MHz to LTE)

4G

Australia is currently using these LTE bands (LTE band mask in brackets):

  • 2100MHz (B1) FDD (0000000000000001) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
  • 1800MHz (B3) FDD (0000000000000004) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
  • 850MHz (B5) FDD (0000000000000010) – Vodafone
  • 2600MHz (B7) FDD (0000000000000040) – Optus, Telstra, Vodafone
  • 900MHz (B8) FDD (0000000000000080) – Telstra (a handful of sites, utilises spectrum previously used by 2G)
  • 700MHz (B28) FDD (0000000008000000) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone
  • 2300MHz (B40) TDD (0000008000000000) – Optus (Vivid wireless spectrum, metropolitan area), NBN (regional area including Gold Coast)
  • 3500MHz (B42) TDD (0000020000000000) – Optus, NBN (NBN trials at this stage)

LTE (Long Term Evolution)/ 4G 

Devices use different technologies to improve the speed (throughput) of their connection. These technologies are grouped together into categories and referred to as Cat4 etc. Note that devices can be one category for downloads and a different one for uploads. For example Cat16 for downloads and only Cat12 for uploads.

Technologies Used
Carrier Aggregation (CA) allows for more simultaneous data streams on supported bands so eg. 28 + 3 + 7. More Carrier Aggregation means more throughput, even aggregating non-contiguous spectrum in the same band if owned by the same carrier.

MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) is the number of antennas and thus independent data streams. 4×4 MIMO has more antennas than 2×2 MIMO. This means they can have more data streams between the tower and the device.

QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) is the encoding and decoding of the digital data stream onto the radio spectrum (the carrier). For example 128QAM and 256QAM.

Theoretical Maximum Speeds
Download Examples
2000Mbps CAT20 7CA(20MHZ carrier * 7xMIMO * 256QAM)
1000Mbps CAT16 2CA(20MHz carrier * 4xMIMO * 256QAM) + (20MHz carrier * 2xMIMO * 256QAM) (a 3CA overall)
800Mbps CAT16 4CA(20MHz carrier * 2xMIMO * 256QAM)
600Mbps CAT12 3CA(20MHz carrier * 2xMIMO * 256QAM)


Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone sell dual-mode LTE/ HSPA+ mobile broadband devices that operate seamlessly across many bands, providing customers with 4G(LTE) data where it is available and then seamless switchover to the 3G HSPA technology in other areas. Voice can be provided over LTE where the provider supports VoLTE (Voice over LTE).

In April (2011) Vodafone announced it will replace 8000 2G and 3G base stations with equipment that can be switched to LTE “at the flick of a switch”.

In September 2012, Optus announced the activation of its 1800 MHz 4G LTE service in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Newcastle. 1800 4G was first trialed in Newcastle (mid-2012). Brisbane and the GoldCoast 4G were activated on 31st October 2012 and Adelaide, just in time for Christmas.

In May 2013 the results of the digital dividend auction were announced by the ACMA with Telstra, Optus, and TPG purchasing spectrum for future LTE networks in the 700Mhz band and 2600Mhz band.

In August 2014, Vodafone announced to launch Voice over LTE (VoLTE) 2015.


4G Band Plans

Note: During 2013, Telstra, Vodafone, and Optus by arrangement swapped 1800Mhz spectrum allocations to provide each with 2 x 20Mhz of contiguous spectrum.

Telstra 2600MHz, 1800MHz, 2100Mhz and 900MHz FDD-LTE (see below)

The 1800 service is currently rolled out with 10, 15, and 20MHz carriers. Operating frequencies are as follows:

Most areas in Australia including regional Victoria 4G have carriers with up to 15MHz bandwidth:

  • Tower Tx: 1805-1820MHz
  • Tower Rx: 1710-1725MHz

New South Wales and Metro Melbourne & Geelong have carriers with up to 10MHz bandwidth:

  • Tower Tx: 1805-1815MHz
  • Tower Rx: 1710-1720MHz

Telstra indicates it will roll-out out 900MHz LTE in mid-2013 to increase coverage depth. This will be a re-farm of the 2G 900 spectrum. A 5MHz bandwidth LTE carrier is the most likely solution. It will deploy 900/1800 carrier aggregation.

In the summer of 2014, Telstra announced to launch 2600MHz LTE in 2016.

In September 2014, Telstra dropped 900MHz LTE for carrier aggregation. Telstra is planning instead to use 700MHz LTE in order to provide higher data rates (up to 300 Mbps).

As a result of the digital dividend auction, Telstra secured 20Mhz paired (40Mhz total) allocations in the 700Mhz band.

Telstra is rolling out its 700Mhz LTE service nationwide with the first towers becoming active on the 1st of January 2015.

  • Tower Tx: 768-788MHz
  • Tower Rx: 713-733MHz

Source for the following information:
As of the beginning of 2019, the technologies in use are as follows:

Active MIMO Technologies in use
In downlink network supports:
• 2×2 on all bands (including band 28)
• 4×2 on B1, B3, and B7 (4X2 is 4 antennas on the tower, 2 antennas on the user device)
• 4×4 on B1, B3, and B (4×4 is 4 antennas on each the tower and the user device)
Future plans
MIMO support is in the plan to be introduced in the following bands:
• 4×2 on B28

Supported Carrier Aggregation combinations:
• 2CA: 7+7, 3+7, 3+28, 7+28, 1+3, 1+7, 1 +28, 3+3, 3+8
• 3CA: 3+7+7, 7+7+28, 3+7+28, 3+3+7, 3+3+28, 1+7+7, 1+3+7, 1+3+3
• 4CA: 3+7+7 +28, 3+3+7+7, 3+3+7+28, 1+ 7+7+28, 1+3+7+7, 1+3+3 +7, 1+3+7+28
• 5CA: 1+3+3+7+7, 1+3+3+7+28, 1+3+7+7+28, 3+3+7+7+28
Future plans
• 6 Band CA: 1+3+3+7+7+28

LTE-M/NB-IoT technology in use:
• 700 MHz (B28) for Cat M1 and NB1
Future plans
• 1800 MHz (B3) for Cat M1

Optus 700, 1800, 2600 (FDD-LTE) + 2300 MHz (TDD-LTE)

The 2300 MHz Band 40 Optus spectrum was obtained courtesy of the Vivid Wireless acquisition. It provides up to 98MHz bandwidth in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Adelaide. Canberra may be one of the first 2300 4G locales with a 3 x 20Mhz channel roll-out, sometime in 2013. It is called 4G Plus by Optus.

As a result of the digital dividend auction Optus secured 10Mhz paired (20Mhz total) allocations in the 700Mhz band.

The Optus 700MHz FDD-LTE service currently runs as a 10Mhz carrier

10Mhz carrier

  • Tower Tx: 758-768MHz
  • Tower Rx: 703-713MHz

The Optus 1800MHz FDD-LTE service currently supports up to 10MHz of paired bandwidth (20Mhz total).

10Mhz carrier

  • Transmission Downlink: 1840MHz – 1850MHz
  • Transmission Uplink: 1745MHz – 1755MHz

The Optus 2300 TDD-LTE service provides up to 98MHz of the continuous spectrum:

Optus converted the 2300MHz band into a TDD-LTE service. TDD differs from normal FDD-LTE services by using only one frequency band to serve as both an upload and download channel. This means that 98MHz of spectrum must be shared between both upload and download, and while this may offer some benefits in dynamically scaling back upload bandwidth to support higher downloads (or vice versa), this means that we shouldn’t be quite as excited about the 98MHz of bandwidth as we might have initially been.

The Optus 2600MHz FDD-LTE service currently runs as a 20Mhz carrier

10Mhz carrier

  • Tower Tx: 2670-2690MHz
  • Tower Rx: 2550-2570MHz

At the end of September 2014, Optus launched LTE intra-band carrier aggregation in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

Vodafone 4G

The Vodafone 1800MHz FDD-LTE service currently supports up to 20MHz of duplex bandwidth.

The Vodafone 850MHz FDD-LTE service currently supports up to 10MHz of duplex bandwidth. Vodafone is also refarming 2100MHz at some sites for use with LTE.

The Vodafone 700MHz FDD-LTE service currently supports up to 5MHz of duplex bandwidth. It is currently being deployed over a handful of sites around Australia.

TPG 4G

As a result of the digital dividend auction TPG secured 10Mhz paired (20Mhz total) allocations in the 2600Mhz band.
Currently as of January 2018 TPG does not yet run any service on their allocation, but the allocated frequencies they purchased are

10Mhz carrier

  • Tower Tx: 2620-2630MHz
  • Tower Rx: 2500-2510MHz

TPG has announced an intention to commence a national 4G network, which will be operational by mid-2018 in parts of Australia.


Telstra 3G (NextG)

NextG is Telstra’s 3G offering. It operates on the 850 Mhz frequency in all areas (with some busy areas more recently using 2100 MHz for extra capacity). For full NextG support throughout Australia, you should get a phone that supports UMTS 850.

Previously, if you did not use a phone with 850 Mhz 3G support, the Telstra/Three joint network known as 3GIS was available on 2100 Mhz 3G within Metro areas. As of September 2012, the 3GIS network has been shut down, however, some 3GIS base stations have been repurposed to the NextG network. Telstra has announced that the NextG network will be closed in June 2024.

Telstra’s 3G Network is made up of DC-HSPA+ (42Mbps), HSPA+ (21Mbps) and HSPA (7.2Mbps) towers depending on location. Note: requires confirmation

  • Tower Rx /Tower Tx

The Telstra 850MHz NextG services operates on one of 2 paired 5 or 10 MHz channels.
ie 830 – 845 MHz (Tower Rx) and 875 – 890 MHz (Tower Tx)

    • 830 – 835 / 875 – 880 MHz – 1 x paired 5Mhz channel
      ACMA Centre Frequencies: 832.5Mhz (Tower Rx)/ 877.5Mhz (Tower Tx)
    • 835 – 845 / 880 – 890 MHz – 1 x paired 10Mhz channel
      ACMA Centre Frequencies: 840Mhz (Tower Rx)/ 885Mhz (Tower Tx)
    • 2100MHz NextG services … *** to be completed ***.

Optus 3G 

Note: Optus is now licensed for 2100 MHz in a number of rural locations.

The Optus 3g operates on dual frequencies; 900 and 2100 MHz.

Optus 900 Mhz 3G is provided by ‘re-farming’ their national 900 2G band for both 2g and 3G services; predominantly in regional and rural areas, now also available in most metro areas for 3G use. Optus pioneered 3g ‘re-farming’ of 900 2G bandwidth. The Optus WCDMA carrier is centered in the middle of their 8.4 Mhz 900 allocation; providing a single 3G 3.84 Mhz bandwidth WCDMA carrier and 10 x GMSK 200kHz wide GSM channels, on either side of the WCDMA channel. It is a delicate Optus balancing act using scarce 900 bandwidth.

  • Optus – Tower Rx /Tower Tx
    • 898.4 – 906.8 / 943.4 – 951.8 MHz, 1 x paired 8.3MHz channel

The Optus 2100 MHz 3G band is predominantly deployed in cities and major regional areas. The ACMA has recently granted Optus, an additional 972 x 2100 MHz licences for regional and rural capacity expansion

  • Optus – Tower Rx /Tower Tx
    • tba

Vodafone 3G

Operates on frequencies; 900 and 2100 MHz.

  • Tower Rx /Tower Tx
    • 906.8 – 915 / 951.8 – 960 MHz, 1 x paired 8.3MHz channel

3G Hi-band 1900-2100Mhz
The 3G Hi-band 1900-2100Mhz is used by Optus, Telstra and VHA.

  • Tower Rx /Tower Tx
    • 1920 – 1980Mhz (tower Rx), 2110 – 2170Mhz (tower Tx) using multiple paired 5Mhz and 10Mhz channels

Optus and Vodafone resellers (Virgin, TPG, Exetel, etc)

These companies provide 3G services on the 2100 Mhz band in Metro areas and some Regional areas and on 900 Mhz.
Virgin is also providing 4G services on the Optus 1800 Mhz LTE Network

For full 3G support throughout Australia, you should get a phone that supports UMTS 850/900/2100.


FAQ

What Frequency Band is my phone using right now?

Different “engineering mode” or “field test” modes exist for different models of handset.

Apple

Dial *3001#12345#*
This will enter field test mode.
Tap ‘Serving Cell Info’, and ‘Freq Band Indicator’ will tell you what LTE band you’re connected to. i.e 3

BlackBerry

In order to get things started you’ll need to open your web browser and visit: escreen:// and then tap go
Tap 3GPP Radio (You need to scroll down on devices such as the Q5 and the Q10 eg. until you get to this point)
Tap Radio Network Info
Tap Serving Cell (LTE) (scroll down again)

LG

Dial 3845#*YOURMODELNO# (e.g. LG G2 is D802, so 3845#*802#, LG G3 is D855, 3845#*855#)
Tap WCDMA Only
Tap Modem Settings
Tap Engineering Mode
Tap previous button
This screen shows LTE band number & LTE bandwidth.

For the LG G4 (and LG Leon [H340Y]):
Dial 277634#*# (OR after marshmallow update use *#546368#*815#* replace 815 with your model number if it is different)
Tap Field Test
Tap Modem Settings
Tap Engineering Mode
Tap previous button and this screen will show LTE band number & LTE bandwidth (heading ITEM_LTE)
If this shows N/A, press Next (twice) until you see ITEM_3G which should show values (if phone is in 3G).
Read the S_FREQ line value.
Use the Wikipedia table linked below to identify the band frequency from the corresponding UARFCN DL channel number range
(example: S_FREQ = 4412 corresponds to Band 5, 850MHz)

Nokia/Microsoft Lumia
may not work for all models

  • Dial ##3282# to enter Field Test mode
  • Tap ‘Accept’ when prompted
  • Tap on the ‘WCDMA’ menu for 3G, or ‘LTE’ menu for 4G
  • Find the corresponding UARFCN number for 3G, or EARFCN number for 4G.
  • Use the Wikipedia table linked below to identify the band frequency from the corresponding UARFCN DL channel number range

Examples:

  • EARFCN reads 1300 and is within the UARFCN DL channel number 1162 – 1513 range, which corresponds to B3/1800MHz (Telstra)
  • UARFCN reads 3038 and is within the UARFCN DL channel number 2937 – 3088 range, which corresponds to B8/900MHz (Optus)

Samsung

On most Samsung models you can use the code *#0011# to see the “ServiceMenu”

As an example: LTE RRC: Idle, Band3 would correspond to LTE 1800MHz

Sony Xperia

Dial *#*#7378423#*#* for the Service Menu
Tap Service Info and then Configuration
You will see the IMEI number, working bands and rooting status.

For example UMTS_BC5 means 3G band 5, whose frequency is 850Mhz which is Telstra Next G compatible.

Oppo

Dial *#36446337# for the engineer mode
Tap Network Set
Tap Radio Info
The line that starts with “BAND” will show which band you are on, for example “LTE_EUTRAN_BAND40, 159” corresponds to LTE Band 40, which is 2300MHz.

 

Importing Phones from Overseas

Importing phones from the UK/Europe will likely mean receiving a UMTS 900/2100 phone. Make sure this is suitable for you!

Importing phones from the US will result in either an 850/1900 or 850/1900/2100 or 1700/2100 or 900/1700/2100 UMTS phone (make sure you don’t import a CDMA phone). AT&T usually supply 850/1900 models sometimes with the addition of 2100 Mhz. T-Mobile usually supply 1700/2100 models sometimes with the addition of 900. Double-check the frequency specifications before importing!

Carriers in Canada also support UMTS 850/1900 along with 1700 Mhz, therefore NextG compatible phones may be sourced there also.

For full compatibility in Australia with all carriers, it is recommended that you use a phone with the following bands:
3G: 850 / 900 / 2100
4G: Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40.

For 4G, Band 3 and 28 are the most commonly used.
If a phone has band 28 available, it is likely to have all the frequency bands you need.


Terminology

Do WCDMA 850, UMTS 850, and 3G 850 refer to the same type of 850 frequency?

Each term conveys different pieces of information but all lead to the same point.

For example, 3G networks are built on the UMTS standard, use WCDMA as the air interface and have HSDPA or HSPA to support data connections.

Summary

Australian Mobile Network Frequencies are used to provide all the 3G, 4G, and 5G services to the mobile consumers and this post explains all the Australian Mobile network frequencies.