List of mobile frequency bands in the Philippines
Do you want to know how much frequency bandwidth is allocated to each network provider? Below is a list of GSM, UMTS and LTE frequency bands allocated to Smart, Globe, Sun Cellular, Bayantel and Extelcom. This list is useful for those who want to know if their handset/device is compatible with their chosen network’s frequency bands.
Summary
| Smart | Globe | Sun Cellular | Bayantel | Extelcom | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 900 | 7.5 MHz | 17.5 MHz | – | – | – |
| 1800 | 20 MHz | 12.5 MHz | 17.5 MHz | 10 MHz | – | |
| 3G (UMTS) |
850 (Band 5) |
10 MHz | – | – | – | 10 MHz (AMPS) |
| 900 (Band 8) |
5 MHz | 5 MHz | – | – | – | |
| 2100 (Band 1) |
15 MHz | 10 MHz | 10 MHz | – | – | |
| 4G (LTE) | 700 (Band 28) | 17.5 MHz | 17.5 MHz | – | – | – |
| 850 | YES | – | – | – | – | |
| 1800 (Band 3) | 7.5 MHz | 7.5 MHz | – | – | – | |
| 2100 | YES | – | – | – | – |
See below for detailed information on each frequency band.
GSM frequency bands for 2G
2G, also known as second-generation wireless telephone technology, allows us to make voice calls, send SMS, picture messages, MMS (via GPRS), and connect to the internet via GPRS/EDGE. In the Philippines, telcos operate in the GSM-900 or GSM-1800 bands to offer 2G services nationwide. Click here for a detailed explanation of 2G technology and how GSM bands work.
GSM-900
| Carrier | Bandwidth | Frequency Assignment | Date Granted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Globe | 7.5 MHz | 890-897.5/935-942.5 MHz | Sep 30, 1993 | |
| Globe | 10 MHz | 905-915/950-960 MHz | Sep 29, 1993 | |
| Smart | 7.5 MHz | 897.5-905/942.5-950 MHz | May 17, 1993 | |
| Globe | 5 MHz | 880-885/925-930 MHz | May 27, 2016 | re-used for 3G (UMTS) Band 8 |
| Smart | 5 MHz | 885-890/930-935 MHz | May 27, 2016 | re-used for 3G (UMTS) Band 8 |
GSM-1800
| Carrier | Bandwidth | Frequency Assignment | Date Granted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Globe | 7.5 MHz | 1710-1717.5/1805-1812.5 MHz | May 27, 2016 | re-used for 4G (LTE) Band 3 |
| Smart | 7.5 MHz | 1717.5-1725/1812.5-1820 MHz | May 27, 2016 | re-used for 4G (LTE) Band 3 |
| Smart | 7.5 MHz | 1725-1732.5/1820-1827.5 MHz | Sept 27, 2001 / Sept 1998 |
|
| 5 MHz | 1735-1740/1830-1835 MHz | Jan 2000 | ||
| 5 MHz | 1745-1750/1840-1845 MHz | Mar 2000 | ||
| 2.5 MHz | 1780-1782.5/1875-1877.5 MHz | |||
| Bayantel | 10 MHz | 1750-1760/1845-1855 MHz | May 8, 2000 / Sept 23, 2001 |
|
| Globe | 2.5 MHz | 1732.5-1735/1827.5-1830 MHz | Dec 1998 | |
| 5 MHz | 1740-1745/1835-1840 MHz | Jan 2000 | ||
| 5 MHz | 1775-1780/1870-1875 MHz | Sept 27, 2001 | ||
| Sun Cellular | 15 MHz | 1760-1775/1855-1870 | Sept 23, 2001 / ? | |
| 2.5 MHz | 1782.5-1785-1877.5-1880 |
UMTS frequency bands for 3G
3G, also known as third generation mobile telecommunication, allows us to make video calls, watch mobile TV, connect to the internet via high-speed 3G/HSDPA. In the Philippines, telcos operate in 850 MHz (Band 5), 900 MHz (Band 8), and 2100 MHz (Band 1) to offer 3G services nationwide. Click here for a detailed explanation of 3G technology and how UMTS bands work.
UMTS-band 1 (2100 MHz)
| Carrier | Bandwidth | Frequency Assignment | Date Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart | 15 MHz | 1920-1935/2110-2125 MHz | Dec 2005 |
| Sun Cellular | 10 MHz | 1935-1945/2125-2135 MHz | Dec 2005 |
| Globe | 10 MHz | 1945-1955/2135-2145 MHz | Dec 2005 |
| formerly owned by CURE |
10 MHz | 1955-1965/2145-2155 MHz | Dec 2005 |
| (empty) | 15 MHz | 1965-1980/2155-2170 MHz | – |
UMTS-band 5 (850 MHz)
| Carrier | Bandwidth | Frequency Assignment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBI | 1 MHz | 824-825/869-870 MHz | not used for 3G |
| 1.5 MHz | 845-846.5/890-891.5 MHz | not used for 3G | |
| Smart | 10 MHz | 825-835/870-880 MHz | transferred from Piltel to Smart then converted to 3G in 2008. Used for 3G and W-CDMA. |
| Extelcom | 10 MHz | 835-845/880-890 MHz | AMPS (not used for 3G) |
| (empty) | 2.5 MHz | 846.5-849/891.5-894 MHz |
LTE frequency bands for 4G
4G, also known as fourth generation wireless mobile telecommunications technology, provides ultra-broadband internet access for mobile devices. In the Philippines, telcos operate in Band 28 (700 MHz), Band 5 (850 MHz), Band 3 (1800 MHz), and Band 1 (2100 MHz) to offer 4G services nationwide.
LTE-band 28 (700 MHz)
| Carrier | Bandwidth | Frequency Assignment | Date Granted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Globe | 17.5 MHz | 703-720.5/758-775.5 MHz | May 27, 2016 | ??? |
| Smart | 17.5 MHz | 720.5-738/775.5-793 MHz | May 27, 2016 | |
| (empty) | 10 MHz | 738-748/793-803 MHz |
Frequency bands are assigned to telecommunication companies to offer 2G, 3G, and 4G services in the country. Originally, the frequency bands used in the Philippines were: 1) GSM: 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, 2) UMTS: 2100 MHz and 850 MHz. As our cellular technology upgrades, frequency bands have been reused to accommodate newer technologies (e.g. 4G).
We update this list from time to time, depending on the information submitted to us. If there are any inaccuracies, please let us know in the comments section below. We’ll try to update this as soon as we can.
[Source: COA Regulatory Functions NTC, ABS-CBN News, GMA News]
I was wondering about the new LoRa license free world standard, it’s actually made for poor people to communicate over large distance. And to connect sensors. LoRa is a non-profit organization: See:
https://lora-alliance.org/
It’s basically a very slow text-service on “extremely” low-power, 100 milli-Watts only! A very small 800mA battery is good enough for a whole day communication. Thanks to the special Chirp modulation technique it can communicate over very large distances as long it’s in line of sight and because of this special modulation technique and low power it’s unlikely to disturb other signals. Very use-full for Emergency radios in remote area. The world record is about 200Km with a small antenna and 100 milli Watt. Mostly used for transmitting sensor data only because it so slow.
The Lora Semtech chips are Worldwide available in 4 different frequencies. And almost country has an official designated free license frequency assigned for it. See:
https://www.mischianti.org/forums/topic/lorawan-lora-frequency-plans-and-regulations-by-country/
Only the Philippines is asking for a license. While the radio chips costs only 5 USD ideal for students to learn about DIY electronics about telecom and program. You can buy on Lazada and Shopee. This is a missed opportunity, I think. In Europe and US, they have put whole Mesh networks maintained by groups of DIY. There’s even a very popular group that pays its members a Helium coin fee if they set up a small cheap Helium miner that connects the information via a gateway on the internet.
The problem is only the communication in urban area is limited. Concrete really blocks the signal after several hundreds of meters. But if you create a mesh network like in Europe or the US it can serve to make people connect in urban areas.
Great article! If possible, please add other LTE & NR bands. Thank you!
You are correct with your last statement about penetration & further coverage of 700Mhz, but being fast does not have to do anything about the frequency. Both low or high bands transmit relatively the same speed (near speed of light, c). What matters for ‘data’ speed is the modulation & technology. 700Mhz can also be used for 5G (NR700).
To re-use or re-farm means the “telco operator” decommissioned the mentioned frequency assignment from its current use case for another use. In this case, the frequency assignment was re-used from GSM-1800 to LTE-1800 (Band3) technology. They do this re-allocation to give capacity for their LTE services, and because GSM users is generally already decreasing.
When is the signal on smart and globe going to be sorted out there is no signal in villaba leyte we have to walk miles to get a signal to talk to family and friends
Good article.
If someone could please clarify what is meant by re-used for 4G (LTE) Band 3?
Without band 28 ,is the 4g coverage poor or non-existent?
Also ,what bands are used in panglao,does anyone know ?
Thanks,
Al
Please update this article to include all hte new bands deployed by Globe and Smart.
For example in Quezon City, I have detected the following bands:
Globe: 3, 28, 38, 40, 41
Smart: 1, 3, 28, 38, 40
I just don’t know how wide those bands are as deployed.
but that can mean faster for a particular person, like myself, at 12 km away from the tower, band 3 1800mhz gives us a terrible noise ratio so we get 0.2 mbps, with the new band 28, its up to sometimes 18 mbps
Actually Band 28 is not a fast band because at 700mhz it’s a low frequency band. The number-of-humps-per-second dictates the data rate. But that lower frequency, longer wave, band, will give you as you say better structure penetration, and also with lower frequency you can be further from the tower and still have reception.
hi, is this updated already?
Very informative. I was just looking for a good antenna, suddenly I came across this. Now I know how to find an antenna that i need. I want to know more about this. I hope you have an accessible medium like Facebook.
Please update this article. Thank you!
most companies, employees in Philippine cell phone stores, don’t even know what you are talking about if you ask what bands do the phone they are selling, have????? but will lie (as usual) and say “yes, sir it does”… I have yet to find a cell phone shop that has a clue…shame…. you should make sure the phone you buy has band 28 which is 700 mhz and goes thru concrete and other materials better and is the newest and fastest speeds… YOU can be sure that store and tech staff do NOT have a clue
Thanks for your article, it is good. It would be helpful (for the purpose of purchasing a phone) to have the LTE band numbers listed. For example, for the high-speed 700mhz LTE-A band 28 (B28) that is rolling out right now on both Globe and Smart, you might think that purchasing a foreign phone that covers 700mhz LTE-A would have you covered. But it wouldn’t, if for example you purchased a phone from the US market that covered B12 or B17, but not B28. All three of these bands are 700mhz LTE-A bands. But they’re not interchangeable. There are many other examples, too many to list. Use the LTE band numbers to avoid confusion.