The electromagnetic spectrum from 3 Hz to 300 GHz is divided into named bands by the ITU. Each band has characteristic propagation behaviour, regulatory allocations, and typical applications. This page is a compact reference for the most important RF and microwave bands.
| Band | Name | Frequency | Wavelength | Propagation |
|---|
| ELF | Extremely Low Frequency | 3–30 Hz | 10,000–100,000 km | Penetrates seawater; submarine communications |
| SLF | Super Low Frequency | 30–300 Hz | 1,000–10,000 km | Power grid frequency; submarine comms |
| LF | Low Frequency | 30–300 kHz | 1–10 km | Ground wave; LORAN, DECCA navigation, AM longwave |
| MF | Medium Frequency | 300 kHz–3 MHz | 100 m–1 km | Ground wave + night-time skywave; AM broadcast |
| HF | High Frequency | 3–30 MHz | 10–100 m | Ionospheric skywave; intercontinental amateur, shortwave broadcast, OTHR |
| VHF | Very High Frequency | 30–300 MHz | 1–10 m | Line of sight + troposcatter; FM radio, TV, aviation, land mobile |
| UHF | Ultra High Frequency | 300 MHz–3 GHz | 10 cm–1 m | Line of sight; cellular, Wi-Fi, GPS, DVB-T, radar |
| SHF | Super High Frequency | 3–30 GHz | 1–10 cm | Line of sight (rain scatter); satellite, microwave links, 5G, radar |
| EHF | Extremely High Frequency | 30–300 GHz | 1–10 mm | Line of sight (rain/O₂ absorption); mmWave 5G, automotive radar, imaging |
| Band | Frequency | Applications |
|---|
| L | 1–2 GHz | GPS (1.575 GHz), cellular 4G/5G, ATC radar, satellite |
| S | 2–4 GHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth, weather radar, cellular |
| C | 4–8 GHz | Satellite communications, C-band radar, Wi-Fi 5 GHz |
| X | 8–12 GHz | Airborne/marine radar, SAR, satellite TV, PCB measurement |
| Ku | 12–18 GHz | Satellite broadcast (DBS), VSAT, Ku-band radar |
| K | 18–27 GHz | Automotive radar (24 GHz) |
| Ka | 27–40 GHz | Satellite broadband, 5G mmWave, imaging radar |
| V | 40–75 GHz | 60 GHz WiGig, automotive radar (77 GHz) |
| W | 75–110 GHz | Automotive radar (79 GHz), imaging, atmospheric |
| mm | 110–300 GHz | THz imaging, spectroscopy, 5G future bands |
| Frequency | Allocation / Service |
|---|
| 433.92 MHz | ISM band (EU): wireless sensors, key fobs, LoRa |
| 868 MHz | ISM band (EU): LoRa, Zigbee, smart meters |
| 915 MHz | ISM band (US/AU): LoRa, RFID |
| 1.575 GHz | GPS L1 (BPSK, C/A code) |
| 1.227 GHz | GPS L2 (military P-code) |
| 2.400–2.4835 GHz | ISM: Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth, ZigBee, microwave ovens |
| 5.150–5.850 GHz | U-NII: Wi-Fi (802.11a/n/ac/ax) |
| 5.8 GHz | ISM band: cordless phones, some Wi-Fi |
| 24 GHz | ISM band: short-range radar, motion sensors |
| 60 GHz | ISM band: 802.11ad/ay WiGig, high-speed short-range links |
| 77 GHz | Automotive radar (long-range) |