The trade-off for low-band’s comparatively slower speeds is a broad reach, which means carriers can leave more distance between towers using this kind of equipment.Īnalysts call the mid-band of the 5G spectrum the sweet spot, as it has a broad geographic reach and is faster than low-band.

Low-band, which generally operates below 1 GHz, can reach speeds of 250 Mbps. Ultimately, 5G availability and speeds are variable because 5G service is offered in three bands. Its mid- and high-band 5G is labeled as 5G Ultra Capacity. T-Mobile offers low-band 5G across the country, labeled as 5G Extended Range on its coverage map. Early in its 5G efforts, AT&T marketed its spiffed-up LTE network as '5G E' and was rebuked by the National Advertising Review Board for misleading customers.

AT&T’s high-band 5G is currently limited to a selection of venues, like stadiums, and is labeled as 5G+.

It’s not related to the idea that numbers possess mystical meanings, but it can sound similarly arcane.ĪT&T also offers low-band 5G coverage across much of the country and mid-band coverage in some cities, both labeled simply as 5G on its coverage map. Flexible Numerology: The ability to assign smaller amounts of bandwidth to devices that don’t need much, such as sensors.For example, cars may connect to a virtual network that makes minimizing latency a priority, while smartphones may connect to a network optimized for streaming video. Network Slicing: The practice of creating “virtual networks” on one carrier’s infrastructure, each with different properties.Faster response time is a big promise of 5G, which could be critical for things like emergency alert systems or self-driving cars. Latency: How long it takes a device to respond to other devices over a network.Carriers plan to augment their licensed spectrum with service delivered over unlicensed bands. Unlicensed Spectrum: Spectrum not licensed to a particular carrier, such as the ranges now used for home Wi-Fi.But millimeter-wave signals are less reliable at long distances. There’s plenty of bandwidth on this chunk of the spectrum, which means carriers can achieve much faster speeds. Millimeter Wave: The range of the wireless spectrum above either 24 GHz or 30 GHz, depending on whom you ask.It's attractive to carriers because it offers lots of bandwidth while presenting fewer challenges than the millimeter-wave range. Mid-Band Spectrum: The range of the wireless spectrum from 1 GHz to 6 GHz, used by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and many other applications.Low-Band Frequencies: Bands below 1 GHz traditionally used by broadcast radio and television as well as mobile networks they easily cover large distances and travel through walls, but those are now so crowded that carriers are turning to the higher end of the radio spectrum.The FCC regulates who can use which ranges, or bands, of frequencies to prevent users from interfering with each other’s signals. The Spectrum: All radio wave frequencies, from the lowest frequencies (3 kHz) to the highest (300 GHz).

Transmit data