Lower 700 band
The radio frequency band spanning 698 - 746 MHz.
The band is divided into five blocks. Blocks A, B, and C are designed for two-way cellular phone/data service. Blocks D and E are designed for one-way (broadcast) radio service.
AT&T uses blocks B and C for its LTE network, which span a frequency range also known as band 17.
Smaller regional carriers - such as U.S. Cellular - use blocks A, B, and C. That range is also known as band 12.
Phones designed for band 12 will work on networks using blocks A, B, and C. Many phones designed for AT&T are designed for band 17, and therefore will not work on regional networks that use block A.
See: Upper 700 band
Last updated Mar 31, 2016 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
