India is also one of the largest telecommunication markets in the world. Having large geography and population, India also has the largest growth of mobile subscribers and technology development. Total subscribers in India have already crossed 1 billion mark. Now the number of telecom subscribers in India is 1.2 billion, by 2023. The total subscribers in mainly dominated by mobile subscribers in 2G, 4G and 5G. Which also requires a higher chunk of frequencies in different spectrum bands. So, in this post, we are updating different spectrum bands in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile networks. That will also help people to check the band and technology before buying smartphones and the device to use in India.
Among the mobile technology standards, GSM and CDMA technology were there for 2G. Operators like Vodafone-Idea, Airtel, BSNL have a large subscriber base in GSM 2G technology which operates in 900 and 1800 MHz. As India is a large country, the licensing regime for India is available in circles. So, the frequency allocation and the bandwidth differ circle by circle. However, operators like Reliance Communication, MTS, BSNL, and Tata used to have CDMA subscribers. For CDMA technology, the frequency band used in India is 850 MHz. As CDMA technology is sunset in India and this frequency band being very popular for 4G LTE technology, most operators have already liberalized this band to use it for 4G LTE service.
All of the major operators also had 3G UMTS in the 2100 MHz band. Operators had also re-farmed their 900 MHz band (which is a frequency band of GSM) to use it for UMTS. Airtel, Vodafone Idea was also using 3G UMTS in 900 MHz, for some of the circles. But now, 3G is also almost shutdown pan India.
4G LTE bands in India
For 4G, there are mainly three frequency bands in India. Jio, the 4G only operator has nearly 450 million subscribers by 2024. Similarly, Jio operates 4G in all of the three 4G LTE bands namely Band 3, Band 5, and Band 40. However, talking in MHz, those bands are 1800 Mhz, 850 MHz, and 2300 MHz. Out of which, 1800 and 850 MHz are FDD technology whereas 2300 MHz band is TDD technology. Airtel and Vodafone Idea also own 4G LTE network in both 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz.
Further, considering the capacity and competition, operators are seeking new spectrum bands to use for 4G LTE. Vodafone Idea also uses LTE in TDD 2500 MHz band which is the most popular band in China. Sooner or later, the most expensive 700 MHz and the popular 2.6 GHz bands will also launch for 4G LTE service. Frequency bands of 2G and 3G like 900 MHz and 2100 MHz can also use 4G if more subscribers move from either 2G or 3G to 4G.
5G Spectrum band in India
In 2022, Indian telcos are already awarded spectrums for 5G technology in 3300/3500 MHz (n77/n78), 26 GHz (n258) and 700MHz (n28) bands via first 5G Spectrum auction. Similarly, the already existing bands like 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, got their owner too for 5G. So, after the allocation of the spectrum bands for 5G, Indian telcos have already started 5G network in different circles and as a matter of fact it’s the fastest 5G network rollout in the whole world. Likewise, Adani Group has also acquired band n258 which is the mmWave band of 26 GHz, to be used for enterprises, in non-public i.e. Private 5G networks.
Here is a table for the different frequency bands in India for mobile technology 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.
| S.N | Mobile Technology in India | Frequency bands in India | Major Operators |
| 1 | GSM (2G) | 900 MHz, 1800 MHz | Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL |
| 2 | CDMA | 850 MHz | Shutdown already |
| 3 | WCDMA (3G) | 2100 MHz, 900 MHz | Shutdown already |
| 4 | WiMAX | 2300 MHz | BSNL |
| 5 | 4G LTE (4G) | 1800MHz | Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio |
| 850 MHz | Jio | ||
| 2300 MHz | Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio | ||
| 2500 MHz | BSNL, Vodafone Idea | ||
| 6 | 5G | 3500 MHz (n78) | Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea, |
| 700 MHz (n28) | Jio | ||
| 26 GHz (n258) | Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea, Adani Data | ||
| 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz | Airtel | ||
| 2500 MHz | Vodafone Idea |
If you have specific information for the frequency bands in India, do let us know below in the comment.
