Wireless Communications Specifications

Wireless communications specifications change rapidly. Fortunately, it is rare that old spectrum is reallocated, so although much of this data was originally obtained from Data obtained from the Philips "2001 (& 2002) Worldwide Wireless Telecommunications Standards" chart, it is still valid.

  • Click here for GSM Frequency and Channel Usage Specs
  • Click here for Data Rates Supported By Cellular Standards
  • Click here for another version of this page with additional information
  • Wireless Spectrum Chart, by QRC Technologies
Analog Cellular Telephones
Standard AMPS/NAMPS

Narrow Band Advanced

Mobile Phone System

TACS

Total Access

Communication System

NMT

Nordic Mobile

Telephone

Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

Rx: 869-894

Tx: 824-849

ETACS:

Rx: 916-949

Tx: 871-904

 - RF Cafe

NTACS:

Rx: 860-870

Tx: 915-925

NMT-450:

Rx: 463-468

Tx: 453-458

 - RF Cafe

NMT-900:

Rx: 935-960

Tx: 890-915

Multiple Access

Method

FDMA FDMA FDMA
Duplex Method FDD FDD FDD
Number of Channels AMPS: 832

NAMPS: 2496

ETACS: 1240

NTACS: 400

NMT-450: 200

NMT-900: 1999

Users Per Channel 1    
Channel Spacing AMPS: 30 kHz

NAMPS: 10 kHz

ETACS: 25 kHz

NTACS: 12.5 kHz

NMT-450: 25 kHz

NMT-900: 12.5 kHz

Modulation FM FM FM
Channel Bit Rate n/a n/a n/a

 

Digital Cellular Telephones
Standard TDMA

IS-54/IS-136

Time Division Multiple Access

CDMA

IS-95

Code Division Multiple Access

GSM

Global System for Mobile Communication

DCS 1800/DCS 1900

Digital Communication System

PDC

Personal Digital Cellular

Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

Rx: 869-894

Tx: 824-849

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 1930-1990

Tx: 1850-1910

Rx: 869-894

Tx: 824-849

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 1930-1990

Tx: 1850-1910

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 2110-2170

Tx: 1920-1980

(CDMA2000 Asia)

Rx: 869-894

Tx: 824-849

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 925-960

Tx: 880-915

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 1805-1880

Tx: 1710-1785

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 1930-1990

Tx: 1850-1910

Rx: 1805-1880

Tx: 1710-1785

Rx: 810-826

Tx: 940-956

 - RF Cafe

Rx: 1429-1453

Tx: 1477-1501

Multiple Access

Method

TDMA/FDM CDMA/FDM TDMA/FDM TDMA/FDM TDMA/FDM
Duplex Method FDD FDD FDD FDD FDD
Number of Channels 832 20  124 374 1600
Users Per Channels 3 15-50 8   3
Channel Spacing 30 kHz 1250 kHz 200 kHz 200 kHz 25 kHz
Modulation π/4 DQPSK QPSK/OQPSK GMSK

(0.3 Gaussian Filter)

8-PSK (EDGE only)

GMSK

(0.3 Gaussian Filter)

π/4 DQPSK
Channel Bit Rate 48.6 kb/s 1.2288 Mb/s 270.833 kb/s 270.833 kb/s 42 kb/s

 

Analog Cordless Telephones
Standard CT0

Cordless Telephone 0

CT1/CT1+

Cordless Telephone 1

Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

2/48 (U.K.)

 - RF Cafe

26/41 (France)

 - RF Cafe

30/39 (Australia)

 - RF Cafe

31/40 (The Netherlands/Spain)

 - RF Cafe

46/49 (China, S. Korea, Taiwan, U.S.A.)

 - RF Cafe

48/74 (China)

CT1: 914/960

CT1+: 885/932

Multiple Access

Method

FDMA FDMA
Duplex Method FDD FDD
Number of Channels 10, 12, 15, 20 or 25 CT1: 40

CT1+: 80

Channel Spacing 1.7, 20, 25 or 40 kHz 25 kHz
Modulation FM FM
Channel Bit Rate n/a n/a

 

Digital Cordless Telephones
Standard CT2/CT2+

Cordless Telephone 2

DECT

Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone

PHS

Personal Handy Phone System

Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

CT2: 864/868

CT2+: 944/948

1880-1900 1895-1918
Multiple Access

Method

TDMA/FDM TDMA/FDM TDMA/FDM
Duplex Method TDD TDD TDD
Number of Channels 40 10 300
Users Per Channel 1 12 4
Channel Spacing 100 kHz 1.728 MHz 300 kHz
Modulation GFSK

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

GFSK

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

π/4 DQPSK
Channel Bit Rate 72 kb/s 1.152 Mb/s 384 kb/s

 

Wireless Data

(see telephone specs for data over cell phone)

Standard CDPD

Cellular Digital

Packet Data (WAN)

Bluetooth HomeRF IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.15.4

ZigBee

Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

Rx: 869-894

Tx: 824-849

2402-2480

(North America & Europe)

 - RF Cafe

2447-2473 (Spain)

 - RF Cafe

2448-2482 (France)

 - RF Cafe

2473-2495 (Japan)

2402-2480

(North America & Europe)

 - RF Cafe

2447-2473 (Spain)

 - RF Cafe

2448-2482 (France)

 - RF Cafe

2473-2495 (Japan)

2401-2462

1000 mW/MHz

(North America)

 - RF Cafe

2412-2472

100 mW/MHz

(Europe)

 - RF Cafe

2483

10 mW/MHz

(Japan)

5150-5250

(USA lower band)

 - RF Cafe

5250-5350

(USA middle band)

 - RF Cafe

5725-5825

(USA upper band)

2402-2480

1000 mW/MHz

(N. America)

 - RF Cafe

2412-2472

100 mW/MHz

(Europe)

 - RF Cafe

2483

10 mW/MHz

(Japan)

Multiple Access

Method

FDMA Frequency hopping Frequency hopping CSMA/CA CSMA/CA TDMA
Duplex Method FDD TDD TDD TDD TDD FDD
Number of Channels 832 79

(23 in Japan, Spain, France)

  FHSS: 79

DSSS: 11

   
Users Per Channel 1  7 active, 200 inactive 8 active  127 127 255
Channel Spacing 30 kHz 1 MHz 1 MHz, 3.5 MHz FHSS: 1 MHz

DSSS: 25 MHz

OFDM: 20 MHz 4 MHz
Modulation GMSK

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

Shaped Binary FM

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

FHSS

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

FHSS: GFSK

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

DSSS: DBPSK (1/MB/s)

DQPSK (2 MB/s)

CCK: QPSK (11 Mb/s)

OFDM: QPSK, QAM

(0.5 Gaussian filter)

OFDM: BPSK (5.5 Mb/s)

OFDM: 16QAM (24, 26 Mb/s)

OFDM: 64QAM (54 Mb/s)

GFSK

(0.5 Gaussian Filter)

Channel Bit Rate 19.2 kb/s 1 Mb/s symbol rate

721 kb/s raw data

56 kb/s return

1 Mb/s symbol rate

1.6, 10 Mbps

1, 2 or 11 MB/s 12 Mb/s symbol rate

5.5-54 Mb/s

250/28 kb/s

 

Personal Communication Systems
Standard High Tier Standards Low Tier Standards
Mobile Frequency

Range (MHz)

Rx: 1930-1990

Tx: 1850-1910

Rx: 1930-1990

Tx: 1850-1910

Multiple Access

Method

  • PCS TDMA

    (based on IS-136 cellular)

  • PCS CDMA

    (based on IS-95 cellular)

  • PCS 1900

    (based on GSM cellular)

    Wideband CDMA

  • PACS

    (based on PHS cordless)

  • DCT-U

    (based on DECT cordless)

  • Composite CDMA/TDMA

Data obtained from Philips "2001 (& 2002) Worldwide Wireless Telecommunications Standards" chart.