Home > Repeater Guide > Selecting repeater frequency

What frequency cell phone repeater do I need?

In order to purchase a cell phone repeater you first need to determine which frequency model you need. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) licenses networks to make use of certain frequency bands for providing cellular service to their customers. Different cellular networks make use of different frequency bands, and these can vary by area.

Selecting the correct frequency

Despite the availability of FCC licensing information for the cellular networks, finding out exactly which frequency each network is using depends on frequency utilization by the network, and also the area in which the cell phone repeater is being used. To find out specific information for your network, please select your cellular network from the list below.

 

More about the FCC licensed frequency bands

The two main frequency bands licensed by the FCC are the 800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. Two additional bands are used by Nextel only.

Cellular Band - 800 MHz (also referred to as 850 MHz)

The 800 MHz cellular band was first licensed by the FCC for cellular usage and covers from 835 MHz to 880 MHz . The band is divided into two blocks, so that in any given area only two 800 MHz licenses are available. Alltel, Verizon, Cingular, US Cellular, and Cellular One all own licenses for the 800 MHz frequency in different areas.

PCS Band - 1900 MHz

The PCS band is a second band that was made available later than the original 800 MHz. It covers from 1850 MHz to 1990 MHz, and is divided into 6 frequency blocks, meaning that in any given area, up to 6 networks can own licenses for the PCS band. Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, Cricket, and MetroPCS run their entire networks on this band. Cingular, Verizon, CellularOne and Alltel run parts of their network on this band. Since the 1900 MHz band is at a higher frequency, it has lower penetration and reception is often weaker than the 800 MHz band. However, it also has greater bandwidth, meaning that it is often for broadband data services such as EVDO (offered by Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel), and HSDPA/UMTS (offered by Cingular).

Nextel - iDEN frequencies

Nextel makes use of special frequency bands for their iDEN technology. These specialized bands are not shared with any other network, and operate on the following frequencies: 806-824 MHz, 851-869 MHz, 1910-1915 MHz, and 1990-1995 MHz. At present we do not support Nextel iDEN frequencies with our repeaters.

© 2006 Telecom Technologies (USA) LLC