The Complex World of 5G Frequencies: Understanding C-Band and Its Role in Cellular Networks

In the world of cellular networks, frequencies play a crucial role in determining the speed and coverage of mobile data. One such frequency that has been at the center of attention is C-band, which is currently being rapidly deployed by carriers across the US. So, what exactly is C-band? In the real world, this frequency corresponds to 4-8 GHz, but when it comes to satellite TV, it's used for a different range - typically between 4.2 and 6.2 GHz.

A large collection of mid-band frequencies is often referred to as C-band, which has been widely used for satellite TV since the 1970s. However, with advancements in technology, these frequencies have largely been replaced by newer and smaller dish systems that operate at a higher frequency - known as the Ku Band, which falls between 12-18 GHz. This shift has led to a significant increase in speeds, allowing carriers to offer faster data rates to their customers.

One major player in this space is satellite company T-Mobile, which acquired Sprint in 2014. With over $9 billion spent in an auction in 2021, T-Mobile managed to secure a large chunk of C-band frequencies. However, their efforts were put on hold when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised concerns that these frequencies might interfere with altimeters used by planes to measure distance and land safely in low-visibility conditions.

In response to this issue, the FAA issued a ruling that effectively halted the deployment of C-band networks by Verizon and AT&T. Despite this setback, T-Mobile was allowed to continue its plans, thanks to a compromise that ensured no planes crashed as a result of the carrier's actions.

As the story goes, T-Mobile has been rapidly deploying its C-band network across various parts of the country. The new Mediatek Demensity 1050 chipset has played a significant role in this process, allowing it to utilize the new C-band frequencies and even combine them with sub-6 GHz signals using a technique called three-carrier component aggregation. This enables faster peak download speeds of up to 4.6 Gbps and greater 5G coverage.

So, why is there such a rush to deploy C-band networks? In essence, it sits in a sweet spot between millimeter wave and low band frequencies - making it an attractive option for carriers looking to provide fast speeds without the high cost associated with millimeter wave technology. For instance, in New York City, the author managed to achieve speeds of 300 Mbps using this frequency.

However, it's essential to note that C-band is not a standalone solution; rather, it's part of a broader strategy by carriers to deploy 5G networks on multiple bands - including low band, mid band (C-band), and millimeter wave. This approach will allow for seamless handovers between different frequencies, providing users with the best possible experience.

The Mediatek Demensity 1050 chipset has been at the forefront of this strategy, supporting not only C-band but also sub-6 GHz signals and even millimeter wave frequencies. As a result, users can expect to see affordable devices that support all these frequencies, potentially revolutionizing the way we think about 5G networks.

In conclusion, the world of 5G frequencies is complex and constantly evolving. C-band, in particular, has emerged as a crucial component of this ecosystem, offering fast speeds and coverage at an attractive price point. As carriers continue to deploy their networks, it's clear that C-band will play an important role in shaping the future of mobile data.

The Rise of 5G: How C-Band is Changing the Game

As we delve into the world of 5G frequencies, it becomes evident that C-band holds a special place. In this context, it refers to the range of mid-frequency bands that lie between sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave frequencies. This range has been widely utilized in satellite TV networks, but with advancements in technology, these frequencies have largely been replaced by newer systems.

The shift towards newer frequencies has led to a significant increase in speeds, enabling carriers to offer faster data rates to their customers. One notable player in this space is T-Mobile, which acquired Sprint in 2014 and spent $9 billion on C-band frequencies in an auction. Despite the FAA's initial concerns about potential interference with planes' altimeters, the carrier was allowed to continue its plans.

T-Mobile has been rapidly deploying its C-band network across various parts of the country, leveraging the Mediatek Demensity 1050 chipset to utilize these new frequencies and combine them with sub-6 GHz signals using a technique called three-carrier component aggregation. This enables faster peak download speeds of up to 4.6 Gbps and greater 5G coverage.

The Benefits of C-Band

So, why is there such a rush to deploy C-band networks? In essence, it sits in a sweet spot between millimeter wave and low band frequencies - making it an attractive option for carriers looking to provide fast speeds without the high cost associated with millimeter wave technology. For instance, in New York City, the author managed to achieve speeds of 300 Mbps using this frequency.

The C-band offers several benefits over other frequencies:

* **Faster speeds**: C-band frequencies offer faster data rates than sub-6 GHz signals, making them an attractive option for carriers looking to provide high-speed internet.

* **Lower costs**: Compared to millimeter wave technology, C-band frequencies are generally less expensive to deploy and maintain.

* **Increased coverage**: C-band networks can provide broader coverage areas than other frequencies, making them ideal for rural or underserved communities.

The Future of 5G: How C-Band Will Shape the Industry

As carriers continue to deploy their networks, it's clear that C-band will play an important role in shaping the future of mobile data. With its unique combination of speed, cost-effectiveness, and coverage, C-band has emerged as a crucial component of the 5G ecosystem.

In the coming years, we can expect to see C-band frequencies being used extensively in various applications, including:

* **Mobile broadband**: C-band networks will provide fast and reliable mobile internet for millions of users worldwide.

* **IoT**: The low power consumption and high speed of C-band frequencies make them an ideal choice for IoT applications.

* **Mission-critical communications**: C-band networks will be used to support mission-critical communications, such as those required by emergency services or military operations.

In conclusion, the world of 5G frequencies is rapidly evolving, with C-band emerging as a crucial component of this ecosystem. As carriers continue to deploy their networks, it's clear that C-band will play an important role in shaping the future of mobile data.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: ennow you're probably very aware of 5g at this point the fifth generation cellular wireless network it's been talked about quite a bit with it though you've probably also heard a ton of other terms just thrown next to the word 5g like sub 6 millimeter wave and now being talked about a lot c band what is c band though and why recently was there a huge fight between the faa the federal aviation administration and all of the carriers and why is c-band kind of a big deal let's talk firstly all cell phone signals are carried over frequencies and without getting too deep into it 5g can run on a much larger swath of frequencies than 4g can from running on the current relatively low frequencies that 4g runs on to the super high millimeter wave frequencies that you see all those crazy speed tests on the internet from part of the benefit of 5g is that it can run on a lot of these less crowded frequencies which gives it a lot more capacity and a lot more speed now there are other technologies involved in 5g that increase the speed and the capacity and latency and everything else but for this video we're going to focus mostly on frequencies now in the us companies bid on various frequencies when the government puts them up for auction for private use now here's a quick diagram of various applications and agencies that are running on all of the different frequencies in the united states as you can see it's a bit crowded here we have those current 4g bands under 2 gigahertz usually referred to as low man and here we have millimeter wave aka high band that are closer to like the 30 to 40 gigahertz way up here in addition to these 5g runs on mid band frequencies that sit in the two to six gigahertz range sometimes called sub six because it's below six gigahertz generally as these frequencies get higher there's a lot more available bandwidth and so speeds generally also get higher but also these frequencies by nature cannot travel as far and they're a lot more susceptible to being blocked by things millimeter wave for example can be blocked by your hand even as opposed to low band frequencies that can actually go through buildings to give you signal inside mid band or sub 6 is sort of in this little interesting sweet spot where it has much higher speeds because there's a lot more bandwidth available but it's also going to reach a lot further than millimeter wave and not be blocked by as many things mediatek who partnered with me to make this video just launched their first ever chipset that supports millimeter wave called the demensity 1050 and it can actually connect to sub six and millimeter wave simultaneously compared to some of their competitors that can only connect to millimeter wave and lte at the same time which in the real world translates to 53 faster speeds here in the us though a large collection of that mid-man frequency is called c-band now these frequencies have mostly been used for satellite tv since the 1970s now since then they have largely been replaced by much newer and smaller dish systems that run on a frequency that's a bit higher called the ku band which is about 12 to 18 gigahertz and what satellite companies that are still running on cbn now have is much better digital encoding so they can actually move their transmissions all up to the higher end of cbn which frees up the rest of it for cellular networks in an 81 billion dollar auction that happened in 2021 verizon and att with about 68 billion dollars got a large chunk of that c band t-mobile actually spent nine billion during that auction but they already had a ton from their acquisition of sprint so all the carriers then proceeded to rush to build out their mid-band networks as fast as they could and right before 18t and verizon were expected to turn theirs on the faa told them no now you might have heard this all over the news but long story short there is a portion of frequencies that sits near the frequencies that a t and verizon bought that is used for altimeters to measure the distance between the plane and the ground to help pilots land in low visibility conditions now most altimeters block out those frequencies that the carriers were using but some older ones don't and so the faa freaked out essentially saying that if verizon and 18 turned on their c-band networks that planes would just fall out of the sky long story short the carriers were allowed to continue no planes crashed and c-man is being as rapidly deployed as it can now the new mediatek demensity 1050 can not only utilize the new c-band frequencies but in places where there is only sub-six it actually uses what's called three cc or three-carrier component aggregation to combine three different frequencies of 5g and lte and treat it as one large pipe which enabled them to get a faster peak download speed of up to 4.6 gigabits per second plus faster average speeds and greater 5g coverage okay so why the rush to get c-band out as fast as possible well as i've already mentioned it kind of sits in a sweet spot between millimeter wave and low band here in nyc for example i was able to hit 300 megabits per second constantly even while wandering around now to be clear c-band is not some crazy solution and the end-all be-all of 5g as with all the carriers here in the u.s they're going to deploy 5g on low band mid band including c band and millimeter wave so you'll have millimeter wave in city centers and anywhere there's a dense amount of people like stadiums for example providing the fastest speeds then you'll have sub 6 c band mid band spreading from there to fill in the gaps provide fast speeds further out and then from there you'll have low band beyond that and your phone will just switch seamlessly between all of them and where previously you would only find support for the full gambit of 5g frequencies on more expensive devices the new aforementioned mediatek demensity 1050 chipset actually supports low band mid band including c-band and millimeter wave and so the full stack of 5g frequencies will start to be available on much less expensive phones think even sub 400 phones there you go i hope that explains what c band is and how 5g frequencies kind of work as a whole shout out again to mediatek for sponsoring this video you can check them out at the link below what they're doing with 5g as well as their new phones with the dementia 1050 chips also check out the channel if you like to see there please subscribe and ding the bell next to the word subscribe so you get notified when i do new videos as always though regardless thanks for watching i'm pretty sure that cop car is just circling us because they're just driving around the park in circles just to annoy me probably truck what is that sound even i don't even understand why is the truck making that sound it doesn't truck means the truck has a problem that's what it sounds like i don't think it's supposed to make that sound i love that i've become also a subject of this guy's new photo series the red wall he's over there he's still taking shots it's cool tag me a lot of sounds new york city man it's just staring at us like you trying to record good for you it's a loud truck one day they'll all be electric can't wait for that day sounds of the city check out the link below what they're doing with phone callnow you're probably very aware of 5g at this point the fifth generation cellular wireless network it's been talked about quite a bit with it though you've probably also heard a ton of other terms just thrown next to the word 5g like sub 6 millimeter wave and now being talked about a lot c band what is c band though and why recently was there a huge fight between the faa the federal aviation administration and all of the carriers and why is c-band kind of a big deal let's talk firstly all cell phone signals are carried over frequencies and without getting too deep into it 5g can run on a much larger swath of frequencies than 4g can from running on the current relatively low frequencies that 4g runs on to the super high millimeter wave frequencies that you see all those crazy speed tests on the internet from part of the benefit of 5g is that it can run on a lot of these less crowded frequencies which gives it a lot more capacity and a lot more speed now there are other technologies involved in 5g that increase the speed and the capacity and latency and everything else but for this video we're going to focus mostly on frequencies now in the us companies bid on various frequencies when the government puts them up for auction for private use now here's a quick diagram of various applications and agencies that are running on all of the different frequencies in the united states as you can see it's a bit crowded here we have those current 4g bands under 2 gigahertz usually referred to as low man and here we have millimeter wave aka high band that are closer to like the 30 to 40 gigahertz way up here in addition to these 5g runs on mid band frequencies that sit in the two to six gigahertz range sometimes called sub six because it's below six gigahertz generally as these frequencies get higher there's a lot more available bandwidth and so speeds generally also get higher but also these frequencies by nature cannot travel as far and they're a lot more susceptible to being blocked by things millimeter wave for example can be blocked by your hand even as opposed to low band frequencies that can actually go through buildings to give you signal inside mid band or sub 6 is sort of in this little interesting sweet spot where it has much higher speeds because there's a lot more bandwidth available but it's also going to reach a lot further than millimeter wave and not be blocked by as many things mediatek who partnered with me to make this video just launched their first ever chipset that supports millimeter wave called the demensity 1050 and it can actually connect to sub six and millimeter wave simultaneously compared to some of their competitors that can only connect to millimeter wave and lte at the same time which in the real world translates to 53 faster speeds here in the us though a large collection of that mid-man frequency is called c-band now these frequencies have mostly been used for satellite tv since the 1970s now since then they have largely been replaced by much newer and smaller dish systems that run on a frequency that's a bit higher called the ku band which is about 12 to 18 gigahertz and what satellite companies that are still running on cbn now have is much better digital encoding so they can actually move their transmissions all up to the higher end of cbn which frees up the rest of it for cellular networks in an 81 billion dollar auction that happened in 2021 verizon and att with about 68 billion dollars got a large chunk of that c band t-mobile actually spent nine billion during that auction but they already had a ton from their acquisition of sprint so all the carriers then proceeded to rush to build out their mid-band networks as fast as they could and right before 18t and verizon were expected to turn theirs on the faa told them no now you might have heard this all over the news but long story short there is a portion of frequencies that sits near the frequencies that a t and verizon bought that is used for altimeters to measure the distance between the plane and the ground to help pilots land in low visibility conditions now most altimeters block out those frequencies that the carriers were using but some older ones don't and so the faa freaked out essentially saying that if verizon and 18 turned on their c-band networks that planes would just fall out of the sky long story short the carriers were allowed to continue no planes crashed and c-man is being as rapidly deployed as it can now the new mediatek demensity 1050 can not only utilize the new c-band frequencies but in places where there is only sub-six it actually uses what's called three cc or three-carrier component aggregation to combine three different frequencies of 5g and lte and treat it as one large pipe which enabled them to get a faster peak download speed of up to 4.6 gigabits per second plus faster average speeds and greater 5g coverage okay so why the rush to get c-band out as fast as possible well as i've already mentioned it kind of sits in a sweet spot between millimeter wave and low band here in nyc for example i was able to hit 300 megabits per second constantly even while wandering around now to be clear c-band is not some crazy solution and the end-all be-all of 5g as with all the carriers here in the u.s they're going to deploy 5g on low band mid band including c band and millimeter wave so you'll have millimeter wave in city centers and anywhere there's a dense amount of people like stadiums for example providing the fastest speeds then you'll have sub 6 c band mid band spreading from there to fill in the gaps provide fast speeds further out and then from there you'll have low band beyond that and your phone will just switch seamlessly between all of them and where previously you would only find support for the full gambit of 5g frequencies on more expensive devices the new aforementioned mediatek demensity 1050 chipset actually supports low band mid band including c-band and millimeter wave and so the full stack of 5g frequencies will start to be available on much less expensive phones think even sub 400 phones there you go i hope that explains what c band is and how 5g frequencies kind of work as a whole shout out again to mediatek for sponsoring this video you can check them out at the link below what they're doing with 5g as well as their new phones with the dementia 1050 chips also check out the channel if you like to see there please subscribe and ding the bell next to the word subscribe so you get notified when i do new videos as always though regardless thanks for watching i'm pretty sure that cop car is just circling us because they're just driving around the park in circles just to annoy me probably truck what is that sound even i don't even understand why is the truck making that sound it doesn't truck means the truck has a problem that's what it sounds like i don't think it's supposed to make that sound i love that i've become also a subject of this guy's new photo series the red wall he's over there he's still taking shots it's cool tag me a lot of sounds new york city man it's just staring at us like you trying to record good for you it's a loud truck one day they'll all be electric can't wait for that day sounds of the city check out the link below what they're doing with phone call\n"